'US to increase anti-IS funds 50 percent to USD 7.5 billion'

Washington: The United States will spend USD 7.5 billion -- a 50 percent increase -- to fund the fight against the Islamic State group, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday.

"Because we are accelerating the campaign, (the Pentagon) is backing that up in our budget with a total of USD 7.5 billion dollars in 2017, 50 percent more than 2016," Carter said in a speech in Washington.

"This will be critical as our updated coalition military campaign plan takes hold."