Press Release
Syrian Coalition
August 16, 2014
The Syrian Coalition welcomes the UN Security Council’s adoption of resolution 2170. Although today’s resolution provides the first concrete step towards tackling the threat of extremist groups, much more remains to be done, and a firmer response is needed to combat the growing threat of ISIS, both in Iraq and indeed Syria.
Commenting on today’s UNSC Resolution, the Syrian Coalition’s Special Representative to the UN, Dr. Najib Ghadbian, said: “The Syrian Coalition calls for targeted airstrikes in Syria. Strikes should be backed up by intensive train and equip programmes for the moderate Syrian opposition forces that have been effectively fighting ISIS for over a year.”
Hezbollah and Iraqi militias, which also have been engaging in terrorist acts against the Syrian people throughout the past three years, should also be condemned and their financiers designated and sanctioned. We call on the Security Council to take all the necessary measures towards this end.
Earlier this year, The Free Syrian Army (FSA) proved it can form a reliable effective force capable of standing in the face of the terrorism of ISIS and other extremist groups. Immediate assistance to the FSA, including through the provision of advanced weapons, is however crucial to combating ISIS and protecting civilian populations against the group’s infamous atrocities.
