IMAN Chairman welcomes Australian support in fight against extremism
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Australia to deliver arms in Iraq at US request: Tony Abbott
SMH
Australia will help deliver arms to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State militants in Iraq.
Describing the situation in the country as an "humanitarian catastrophe," Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced on Sunday that the government had agreed to a US request for Australia to transport military equipment on the RAAF C-130J Hercules and C-17A Globemaster aircraft.
"Australia will join international partners to help the [anti-IS] forces in Iraq," Mr Abbott said in a statement.
Australian planes will fly alongside aircraft from Canada, Italy, France, Britain and the US.
The move follows RAAF drops of humanitarian supplies to thousands of people stranded on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq.
The Iraq government and other regional countries will co-ordinate Australia's contribution.
Responding to the news, IMAN Chairman, Ribal Al-Assad said:
"I very much welcome this announcement by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
The ISIS militants have proven themselves to be barbaric individuals - driven by a desire to slaughter all those who no not conform to their narrow and perverted ideology.
This strategic military support certainly will go a long way in combatting the Islamist extremist threat and I urge other nations to follow Australia's lead.
There is no doubt that many innocent lives will be saved as a result of this decision."
