War on IS to intensify

Washington and its allies yesterday vowed to "accelerate and intensify" the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Syria and Iraq but distanced themselves from calls for military action to curb the group's expansion in Libya.

Meeting in Rome, ministers from the 23 countries involved in the US-led coalition battling the extremist group said progress was being made in pushing IS back in Syria and Iraq and cutting off its sources of finance and energy. And they pledged to step up their action.

"We will intensify and accelerate the campaign against ISIL/Daesh in Iraq and Syria, act in concert to curb its global ambitions, and take every measure to ensure the protection of our citizens," they said in a statement.

The statement expressed concern over "the growing influence" of IS in Libya but stopped short of threatening air strikes.

Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and US Secretary of State John Kerry opened the talks by telling their allies that IS was adapting to the pressure on its heartland and redirecting its efforts towards Libya and into attacks like those in Paris, Ankara and San Bernadino, California.

Kerry said IS fighters have lost 40 percent of their territory in Iraq and 20 percent in Syria.

Within the coalition, Italy has taken the lead in planning how to address the IS threat which is just a short boat ride from its southern shores, in and around the Libyan coastal city of Sirte. But Rome's focus is firmly on trying to rally the international community behind efforts to get a national unity government established and helping it stabilise a country that descended into chaos after the ouster of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Direct military intervention against IS fighters is not on the immediate agenda, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters, rubbishing reports that Paris was pushing for strikes. "There is absolutely no question of military intervention in Libya," Fabius said.

Gentiloni also played down the need for "hasty military intervention."