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| RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (RAAF Info) |
Brendan Nicholson
TONY Abbott has committed RAAF combat aircraft and army special forces advisers to join the fight in Iraq against the Islamic State terrorist group, in an operation that could last for “many months”.
Eleven years after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Prime Minister announced today that within days, the RAAF would send to the United Arab Emirates up to eight Royal Australian Air Force F/A18 Super Hornet or “classic” Hornet combat aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft; and a KC-30A multi-role tanker and transport aircraft.
With them will go about 600 Australian Defence Force personnel — 400 from the RAAF and 200 from the Army.
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| RAAF E-7A Wedgetail AEW&C Aircraft (RAAF Info) |
Mr Abbott and Australian Defence Force chief Mark Binskin said the ADF would also immediately send a Special Operations Task Group as military advisers to help Iraqi and other security forces fighting Islamic State terrorists, also known as ISIL.
He said the deployment did not mean Australia was at war and stressed the operation so far was “preparation and deployment”, with a decision yet to be made to send forces into action.
“But obviously that’s something we have in contemplation,” he said.
Read the full story at The Australian