Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Reynolds, the Chair of the Defence Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, for her question. I can indicate that Daesh is under increasing pressure from Iraqi security forces, which are being supported by the international counter-Daesh coalition. Indeed, Daesh continue to lose territory, finances, fighters and battles.

The focus in Iraq remains on the liberation of Mosul, the terrorist organisation's final stronghold in that country. As we said from the outset, when this began in October, this will be a long and complex operation. In the last weeks, Iraqi Security forces have liberated east Mosul from Daesh, and operations to liberate west Mosul will commence soon. The terrain in west Mosul does make it more difficult to clear. The narrow roads and the density of the buildings will cause much of the fighting to occur at very close quarters. There will, of course, be good days and some days that involve setbacks, but, with the continued effort of the ISF and the international coalition, Daesh will be defeated in Mosul.

Tomorrow I will travel to Brussels to meet with my ministerial counterparts from the counter-Daesh coalition, at NATO and more broadly, to discuss the next steps in the plan to defeat this terrorist organisation. While in Brussels this week, I will also meet with US Secretary of Defense, James Mattis, to discuss our important shared interests and security concerns. The defense secretary and I spoke in January, and I look forward to this important bilateral meeting this week.