As part of a joint training mission with New Zealand, who revealed their intentions to send 143 soldiers overseas last week, the 300 new arrivals will join 200 Australian counterparts already in Iraq.
Speaking to reporters in Canberra on Tuesday, Abbott said Australian forces had already enjoyed success in their fight against IS militants, but that more aid was needed to continue training Iraqi troops.
"We have slowed (IS group) Daesh's advance, but Iraq's regular forces now require support to build their capacity to reclaim and to hold territory," he said.
The troops, who will be based in northern Baghdad, are expected to be overseas for two years as per the government's timeline of their involvement in Iraq.
- "We expect this training mission to be fully operational, should we make the final decision to commit in June," Abbott said.
Abbott also revealed that the decision to send more troops abroad had come with the support of Iraq Prime Minister Haider Al- Abadi, but that Iraq "do not want foreign combat troops on the ground and obviously working with the Iraqis."
Therefore, just like the 200 Australians already in Iraq, the new group will occupy strictly advisory roles.
The Prime Minister also suggested that national security can only be guaranteed domestically by providing international support.
"What the Australian people want is security at home, but you can't have that security at home without doing your bit for security abroad," he said.
Source:Xinhua - globaltimes.cn
3/3/15
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Turkish National Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said Wednesday that Turkey is ready to give any kind of “intelligence and logistical support” to the Iraqi government in fighting terrorism...
ReplyDelete“In addition to this support we are ready to help the Iraqi army and the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces with equipment and training,” Yilmaz said during a joint press conference with Iraqi Defense Minister Halit el-Ubeydi in Baghdad.
"We will stand by Iraq should there be an operation to retake Mosul,” Yilmaz said.
The Iraqi army and Kurdish forces, in cooperation with local Shiite and Sunni militias, are waiting to initiate a major offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known also as Daesh, in the coming weeks to take the control of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city.
Yilmaz said that Turkey will continue with its military aid to the Iraqi government, after two C-130 Turkish military planes landed in Muthenna Air Base in Baghdad on Tuesday.
The Turkish minister said that Ankara is ready to donate humanitarian aid and set up camps for those that will be forced to leave Mosul in face of operation................http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/473802--turkey-to-support-iraq-against-daesh-says-defense-head
5/3/15