Special to WorldTribune.com

LONDON — NATO has determined that a Western-backed military coalition could take years to defeat Islamic State of Iraq and Levant.

Officials said the United States and its allies concluded that the war against ISIL would require a sustained military and counter-insurgency campaign. They said the Western alliance must also work with Middle East countries to stop the growth of the Al Qaida-aligned movement.

“It may take a year, it may take two years, it may take three years,” Secretary of State John Kerry said. “But we’re determined it has to happen.”

In a meeting with NATO allies in Britain’s Wales on Sept. 5, Kerry sought commitments for the war against ISIL in Iraq. The secretary did not rule out that any military campaign could extend to neighboring Syria, where ISIL controls up to a third of the country.

“There are obviously implications about Syria in this,” Kerry said.

So far, Australia, Britain, Canada, France and Germany have shipped weapons and equipment to the Kurdish Regional Government, a leading target of ISIL’s sweep through northern Iraq. The United States has sent nearly 1,000 advisers and special operations forces to direct the Iraqi military’s drive against ISIL.

“We are at the beginning in dealing with a group which nobody has a strategy to deal with in the long run,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said. “A military confrontation will be only successful if it is embedded in a political setting.”

NATO, which agreed to establish a rapid reaction force, has been mulling an international conference on ISIL. The United States has proposed such a parley during the United Nations General Assembly in late September.

“We are actively preparing it and the Foreign Minister [Laurent Fabius] has numerous contacts with the states that we would like invite and with which we would like to increase international cooperation to fight against the Islamic State,” French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said.

Officials said NATO was drafting plans that would allocate resources for the war against ISIL. They said Britain, France and the United States would supply fighter-jets and special operations forces while Germany and other members would be responsible for logistics.

“We need an all-military aspect,” Kerry said. “Some people will not be comfortable doing kinetic. We understand that. Or some people don’t have the capacity to do kinetic. But everybody can do something. People can contribute either ammunition or weapons or technical know-how or intel capacity. People can contribute advisors.”

So far, Turkey has refused to join the coalition against ISIL, which holds Turkish hostages. Officials said the United States would examine the prospect of Turkish cooperation during the imminent visit by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

“Turkey has a stake here,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said. “We understand that. The Turkish government has concerns about foreign fighters, and right they should, and we’re going there next week. I have no doubt this will be a topic of discussion between Secretary Hagel and his counterpart.”

  agrees defeat of ISIL could take years, Chuck Hagel, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, In search of a coalition, Kurdish Regional Government, Laurent Fabius, NATO, NATO prepares strategy