NATO Considering Intervention in Fight Against Daesh With AWACS Spy Planes

NATO is set to discuss the possibility of providing the US-led coalition with the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) surveillance planes, Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday.

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — NATO is going to discuss the possibility of providing the US-led coalition with AWACS surveillance planes to tackle Daesh, NATO Secretary General said Thursday.

"We will discuss what more NATO can do to support the efforts of the global coalition fighting ISIL [Daesh]. NATO is already playing a key role in the global fight against terrorism… We are also looking into whether NATO can provide additional support to the coalition fighting ISIL because there has been a request for AWACS support. And that will be discussed during our meeting today," Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a meeting of NATO member states' foreign ministers.

NATO is not formally engaged in the military campaign against Daesh, but individual members, including the United States, France, and Turkey, are contributing to military efforts against the terror group in both Syria and Iraq.

Daesh is a terrorist group outlawed in the United States, Russia and numerous other countries. The group has seized large areas in Syria and Iraq and declared a caliphate on territories under its control.

The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes against jihadists in Syria and Iraq since summer 2014.