Saudi FM: fighting ISIS in Syria requires boots on the ground

Countering terrorism in Syria will take a long time and requires combat troops on the ground, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saudi al-Faisal told an international conference of the partner countries in the coalition against ISIS held in Brussels on Wednesday.

“We are all aware that countering terrorism will take a long time, and requires a continuing effort,” Prince al-Faisal said, in statements carried out by the Saudi Press Agency.

“It is out of the Kingdom's keenness on the continuation of the cohesion of this coalition and the success of its efforts, we believe that these efforts require the presence of combat troops on the ground,” he added.

He said to achieve this goal there is an “urgent need to strengthen the forces of moderation represented in the Syrian free army and all other moderate opposition forces.”

“This matter would unite the efforts of these forces to be used to purge the Syrian territory of all terrorist organizations, which occupy one-third of Syria's territory,” he said

In Iraq, the Saudi foreign minister said combating terrorism “requires the unity of the internal front” and “the restructure of the army under a collective doctrine.”