News Digest

Australia deploying 600 troops to the Middle East for coalition against IS

Australia has become the first country to detail troop numbers and aircraft for a U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq, as Washington drums up support for global action to counter the terrorist threat. Australia Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Sunday a 600-strong force comprising some 400 air force personnel and 200 special forces soldiers would be deployed to a U.S. military base in the United Arab Emirates. A number of countries have responded to U.S. President Barack Obama’s call to join a coalition against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (also known as ISIL or ISIS), but Australia is the first to publicly provide specific troop numbers and military hardware for the mission.

I have to warn the Australian people that should this preparation and deployment extend into combat operations, that this could go on for quite some time.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Obama is leading an effort to form a coalition of Western allies and Gulf Arab states to take on the extremist group whose savage methods have included beheading two American journalists and a British aid worker. Abbott said troops would be deployed in the coming days. The Australian government on Friday raised its domestic terror alert to “high” for the first time, citing the likelihood of terrorist attacks by Australian citizens radicalised in Iraq or Syria. Up to 160 Australians have either been involved in fighting there or actively supported it, officials say, and at least 20 have returned to Australia after fighting in the Middle East and pose a national security risk.