U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has visited the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey about 100 miles from the Syrian border this morning, the Washington Post reports.
Carter is at the beginning of a Middle Eastern tour to see the evolving U.S.-led campaign against IS and comes a day after President Obama convened a meeting of top national security professionals at the Pentagon to discuss plans for fighting IS.
As talks between Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his U.S. counterpart John Kerry got underway this morning, Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova took to Facebook to comment on the U.S.-led campaign against IS in Iraq and Syria.
"Obama talked about the need to carry out 'surgical strikes' on IS," Zakharova wrote.
"The main thing is that in Washington's understanding this does not turn out to be plastic surgery, which rather than solving the problem just changes its form."
Pro-Kremlin news website RIA Novosti has reported that U.S. Secretary of State thanked his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Russian this morning after the two had greeted each other.
RIA notes that 150 journalists had covered the meeting, and that "such hype is typical of bilateral contacts between Russian and American foreign ministers and usually ends with clashes and arguments over the best position for taking photographs."
Kerry and Lavrov are discussing the crisis in Syria.
Ahead of the meeting, Russia stepped up its criticism of the United States' position on Syria and its role in the fight against the IS group.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refused to comment on whether Russia is supplying weapons to the Free Syrian Army, Kommersant reports.
"I have nothing to add to what has been said," Peskov was quoted as saying.
The Free Syrian Army denied yesterday that they had received any support from Russia, saying that Russian aircraft had continued to bomb their positions.
The head of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has said that it has killed 20 out of 26 militant leaders in the North Caucasus who had pledged allegiance to the IS group.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting of the National Security Committee this morning, Alexander Bortnikov said that the "forecasted deterioration of the situation since the start of the Russian air force campaign against terrorists in Syria confirms the threats emanating from IS and other international terrorist groups. Militants are trying to infiltrate us from the 'hot spots'."
Russia's FSB has estimated that around 3,000 Russians are fighting alongside the IS group, BBC Russian reports.
From our news desk:
Saudi Arabia Announces 34-State Military Coalition To Fight Terrorism
Saudi Arabia on December 15 announced the formation of a 34-member Islamic military alliance to combat terrorism.
"The countries here mentioned have decided on the formation of a military alliance led by Saudi Arabia to fight terrorism, with a joint operations center based in Riyadh to coordinate and support military operations," a joint statement published by the state news agency SPA said.
The listed alliance members include Arab countries such Egypt, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, together with Islamic countries Turkey, Malaysia, and Pakistan. Other Gulf Arab and African states were also mentioned in the list.
"The appropriate arrangements shall be developed for coordination with friendly peace-loving nations and international bodies for the sake of supporting international efforts to combat terrorism and to save international peace and security," the statement said.
The announcement cited "a duty to protect the Islamic nation from the evils of all terrorist groups and organizations whatever their sect and name which wreak death and corruption on Earth and aim to terrorize the innocent."
Sunni Saudi Arabia’s regional rival, Shi'ite Muslim Iran, was not listed as a member of the new alliance. The two countries have been locked in proxy conflicts from Syria to Yemen.
The United States has called on Gulf Arab states to step up their efforts to fight Islamic State (IS) militants that control areas of Iraq and Syria.
U.S. President Barack Obama on December 14 said he has tasked Defense Secretary Ash Carter with traveling to the Middle East to secure greater military contributions from other countries in the U.S.-led coalition that is fighting IS forces.
Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman told reporters in a rare press conference on December 15 that the newly announced campaign would "coordinate" counterterrorism efforts in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt, and Afghanistan, though he provided few concrete details.
"We will fight every terrorist organization, not only the Islamic State," bin Salman said at the press conference, which was broadcast by Saudi television.
He added that each member country will participate in the alliance according to its capabilities.
"There will be international coordination with major powers and international organizations...in terms of operations in Syria and Iraq. We can't undertake these operations without coordinating with legitimacy in this place and the international community," bin Salman said.
IS militants have vowed to overthrow the Gulf Arab monarchies and have attacked Shi'ite Muslim mosques and security personnel in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
The U.S. Department of Defense has tweeted this image of U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his wife arriving in Turkey this morning for a visit to troops and their families.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has asked for more assistance from Turkey to help destroy the IS group, Turkish news website Daily Sabah reports.
"Turkey has an enormous role to play," Carter said, according to Daily Sabah.
"We appreciate what they're doing. We want them to do more."
Carter said he wanted Turkish forces to join "in the air and the ground as appropriate...The single most important contribution that their geography makes necessary is the control of their own border."
Carter is visiting Turkey's Incirlik air base this morning -- the launching point for air strikes against IS -- at the start of a tour of the Middle East that aims to boost regional support for the U.S.-led campaign against the extremist group.
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said that Turkish troops in northern Iraq do not pose a threat to Iraq's territorial identity, Kurdish news website Bas News reports.
“We defend Iraq’s territorial integrity more than anyone. Nobody can doubt Turkey’s good intentions. Similarly, Turkey’s counterterrorism is an act of principle which cannot be questioned," Bas News quoted Davutoglu as saying.