Military chiefs gather in Paris to bolster Daesh fight

Defence chiefs from the United States, France, Britain and four other countries meet in Paris on Wednesday to examine ways to build on gains made against Daesh, including increasing the number of police and army trainers.
Daesh was ousted by government forces from the western Iraqi city of Ramadi last month and has been slowly pushed back in other areas.
"The object of today is to satisfy ourselves that the balance of the campaign is right...and that we can now capitalise on the setbacks Daesh has suffered in Iraq and move on to tighten the noose around the head of the snake in Syria in Raqqa," British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon told reporters before the meeting.
Daesh is the Arabic derogatory acronym to describe Daesh.
Fallon said the group had lost 25 per cent of the area it controlled in Iraq and 10 percent in Syria.
US Defence Secretary Ash Carter said the talks, which also include, Germany, Italy, Australia and the Netherlands, would focus on how to accelerate the campaign. This could include an increase in the number of trainers and police who can help hold territory seized from Daesh.
France was the first country to join US-led air strikes in Iraq. Since the Paris attacks by Daesh militants in November, President Francois Hollande has stepped up French aerial operations against Daesh, including in Syria, contributing about 20 per cent of coalition strikes.
"It's not just about adding more planes, but also trainers to accelerate the speed with which local forces can retake territory against Daesh," a French official said.
Last week, Carter offered US troops heading to Iraq an upbeat assessment that emphasised advances by Iraqi forces - including retaking control of the city of Ramadi - and by US-backed rebels in Syria.
He focused on efforts to "collapse" the Daesh's power centres of al Raqqa, in Syria, and Mosul, in Iraq.
The French official said that while there was pressure to intensify the air effort, the US-led coalition's ability was limited by requirements to avoid civilian casualties.
Western-backed officials have also been alarmed by Russian strikes in Syria, which they say have targeted civilians and opposition groups they support.
"I am increasingly disturbed by Russian bombing," Fallon said. "We have estimates of several hundred civilians killed through the use of unguided munitions on civilian areas and opposition groups fighting Assad," he said.