WASHINGTON -- The United States says it will host a 68-country meeting of foreign ministers and senior leaders later this month to discuss the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants.
The U.S. State Department said in a March 9 statement that the meeting, slated to be held in Washington on March 22, will be the first "full" conference since December 2014 of the U.S.-led coalition against IS extremists.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will host the gathering.
The State Department said talks would focus on efforts "to increase the momentum of the campaign" against the extremist group in Iraq, Syria, and around the world.
"We are at an important stage of the fight against ISIS and will use this ministerial to accelerate international efforts to defeat ISIS in the remaining areas it holds in Iraq and Syria and maximize pressure on its branches, affiliates, and networks," it added, using an alternate acronym for the extremist group.