MELBOURNE
Australian warplanes will conduct airstrikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, said the Australian prime minister on Friday.
Tony Abbott announced that the Australian cabinet had authorized airstrikes in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government.
“The cabinet has authorized the deployment of Australian special forces into Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi forces,” announced Abbott to the press.
“I want to stress that only Iraq can defeat ISIL. But Iraq shouldn’t be alone and as far as Australia and our allies are concerned, Iraq won’t be alone,” he added.
Australia’s 600 soldiers, eight Super Hornet warplanes as well as two other air force planes have been waiting for about two weeks in the United Arab Emirates to join the U.S.-led coalition forces.
A U.S.-led aerial campaign was launched against ISIL targets in Iraq on September 9, with the support of France, the U.K. and Belgium, along with Arab allies Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, among other countries.
Turkish lawmakers Thursday authorized the government to deploy troops to Syria and Iraq to fight any group threatening the country.
www.aa.com.tr/en
