Anti-IS Coalition Urges 'Speedy' Political Process in Syria, Vows Support for Iraq

Iraq's allies Tuesday pledged support for Baghdad's plan to retake the city of Ramadi from Islamic State jihadists, whose advance Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi described as a "failure" for the global community.

The U.S.-led coalition, which has been carrying out air strikes against IS, also called for the "speedy launch" of efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, saying this was crucial to tackle the group rampaging through Syria and Iraq.

But despite a series of battlefield wins by IS, the coalition maintained it had a "winning strategy" and gave its seal of approval to Iraqi plans to claw back territory at crunch strategy talks in Paris.

US Deputy Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, standing in for the hospitalized John Kerry in Paris, hailed Baghdad's strategy as "the right plan both politically and militarily for Iraq at this time."

He insisted the coalition had made "real gains" and said the Islamic State now had 25 percent less territory than when the air strikes began in August.

Experts say the militant group now controls an area the size of Italy across Syria and Iraq.

Baghdad has been fighting to wrest back Ramadi, the capital of Iraq's largest province Anbar, since the shock loss to IS last month -- the worst defeat for the coalition since it formed nearly a year ago.

Under the emergency plan adopted by Abadi's cabinet, the Iraqis hope to mobilize and arm the Sunni tribes of Anbar province -- which they have previously been loath to do out of fears they could turn on the Shiite-led government.

Abadi also plans to ensure all Sunni and Shiite militias are operating under Baghdad's authority, to avoid stoking ancient sectarian tensions between the two sects of Islam.

The loss of Ramadi as well as the historic Syrian city of Palmyra days later raised questions about the effectiveness of the coalition's strategy.

But Blinken insisted: "In Iraq right now we have the right strategy, a combination of air strikes, training and effective global partners."

None of Iraq's allies are willing to send troops into battle.

The rout of Iraqi security forces in Ramadi also led to a diplomatic spat as U.S. Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said there was "an issue with the will of the Iraqis to fight", in comments that deeply angered Baghdad and forced Washington to apologize.

- Rise in foreign IS fighters -

Abadi himself urged more from his partners, saying most IS fighters were foreign and therefore an "international problem."

"There is a lot of talk of support for Iraq, there is very little on the ground," he told reporters before the meeting.

He said that until recently, around six out of 10 fighters were Iraqi and the remainder foreign, whereas the proportion was now reversed.

The international community has to explain "why so many terrorists are from Saudi Arabia, why so many from the Gulf, why so many from Egypt, why so many from Syria, and Turkey and from European countries?"

His criticism came as IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an Iraqi police base north of Baghdad on Monday that killed at least 37 people, mostly officers.

Abadi warned that the jihadist onslaught in his country was not just an issue for Iraq.

"There is a lack of intelligence, we are trying very hard on our part but this is a transnational organization... This is a failure on the part of the world."

And while the focus of the Paris meeting was the crisis in Iraq, the ministers also talked about neighboring Syria where IS is wreaking havoc.

They said that with the "continued deterioration of the situation in Syria and the inability and unwillingness of (Bashar Assad's) regime to fight Daesh (IS)" it was urgent to find a political solution in Damascus.

In a joint statement, the 20 or so coalition representatives called for the "speedy launch of a U.N.-facilitated, genuine and inclusive political process" in Syria.

- In need of weapons -

Aside from diplomatic support, Abadi said Baghdad was in need of weapons and ammunition to battle IS, adding that most of his country's weapons contracts were with Russia or Iran, which are both under Western sanctions.

"We are not asking for arms, but please let us purchase arms easily," he pleaded.

The suicide attack against the police base slowed an operation to retake Ramadi, but Abadi said his troops' counter-offensive was "advancing quite quickly."

He insisted "Iraqis are prepared to fight" and said he was "investigating why some local commanders issued commands for the forces to withdraw" during the IS attack on the city.

He said small numbers of fighters took control of mosques, using loudspeakers to issue threats against troops, striking fear into the population and security forces.