The U.S. hailed Turkey as a vital partner in the campaign to defeat Daesh during a Department of Defense briefing.
“Turkey is an important ally and our long-term relationship with Turkey is critical,” said the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford at the conference on Friday.
The briefing was held at the Pentagon, and attended by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford and the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter Daesh Brett McGurk.
“A critical partner; we cannot defeat ISIS [Daesh] without Turkey,” said McGurk.
The coalition is leading an international campaign to defeat Daesh, deny the terrorist organization of a geographic haven and eradicate their ability to recruit and finance terrorist operations.
“We can't do this without Turkey. We work with them every single day. We have some differences, as we do with every coalition partner, but they're very close allies and we consult with them all the time,” McGurk added.
