Statement by Secretary Carter on Poland’s Decision to Expand Campaign Against ISIL
June 20, 2016

I welcome Poland’s announcement that it will expand its role in the campaign to deliver ISIL a lasting defeat. The Polish decision to deploy 60 special operations forces to Iraq, as well as four F-16s and associated personnel to Kuwait for reconnaissance missions over Iraq and Syria, is a further sign of the growing momentum in the campaign to defeat ISIL.

As I discussed last week in Brussels with Polish Minister of National Defense Macierewicz, the lasting defeat of ISIL must be a global undertaking, because ISIL is a global threat. Expanding the resources dedicated to the fight allows us to further accelerate the campaign. I am grateful for the meaningful action of the Polish government following the meetings last week, and for the commitment from the Polish people to this fight.