Carter: Iraqi politics won't slow efforts against Islamic State

GOA, India, April 12 (UPI) -- The United States' accelerated airstrike and special forces campaign against the Islamic State is not dependent on Iraq's political success, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said.

Speaking to press Monday during a visit to the Goa state in India, Carter addressed comments by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry who, during a visit to Iraq last week, suggested the United States would not send additional troops and equipment to help the Iraqi Security Forces retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State without Iraq first addressing sectarian divisions that could threaten to divide the country into Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite territories.

Carter said that although success against the Islamic State in Iraq overall does require economic and political progress, particularly over sectarian issues, the "political part of the healing" that will take place will begin after the Islamic State is "destroyed and the country is given back to its own people."

When prompted about whether Iraq's economic or political issues will delay the United States' efforts or strategy in its campaign against the Islamic State, Carter rejected the notion.

"No," Carter said. "We're going to accelerate the military campaign as fast as we can. There's no question that some of them depend upon political cohesion and progress in Baghdad. But also Erbil. But, we're moving as fast as we can on the military campaign.