BRUSSELS (AP) – The Latest from NATO meeting on Islamic State group and related developments (all times local):
11:14 a.m.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has opened a rare emergency meeting at NATO headquarters, requested by Turkey, by expressing condolences to the Turkish people and government for recent deadly attacks there. He said that “terrorism in all its forms” can never be justified.
Tuesday’s meeting is only the fifth of its kind since the U.S.-led political and military alliance was founded 66 years ago. The NATO treaty empowers member states to seek emergency consultations if they deem their territorial integrity, political independence or security to be under threat.
In public remarks, Stoltenberg said it was right to hold the meeting since there is instability on Turkey’s border and NATO’s southeastern doorstep. The meeting of the North Atlantic Council, NATO’s principal political decision-making body, then went into closed session.
11:03 a.m.
The U.N. Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee is meeting in Madrid with ministers and representatives from some 70 countries to discuss ways of stemming the flow of foreign fighters to countries such as Iraq and Syria.
The committee says the meeting Tuesday is aimed at discussing strategies and techniques to help member states address the foreign fighter threat.
Speaking after preparatory meetings Monday, committee executive director Jean Paul Laborde said international cooperation was imperative in combating the problem.
The committee estimates there are some 25,000 foreign fighters from more than half the countries in the world involved with listed Al-Qaida affiliates such as Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State armed group.
10:58 a.m.
NATO ambassadors are gathering for an emergency session to gauge the threat the Islamic State extremist group poses to Turkey, and the actions Turkish authorities are taking in response.
The extraordinary meeting Tuesday at NATO headquarters is only the fifth such emergency meeting in the 66-year-history of the alliance. Turkey requested the session under Article 4 of the treaty, which empowers its 28 member states to seek such consultations when they consider their “territorial integrity, political independence or security” to be in jeopardy.
Turkey’s request followed an IS suicide bombing near Turkey’s border with Syria that left 32 people dead and an IS attack on Turkish forces, which killed a soldier.