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| RAAF F/A-18F Super Hornet (File Photo) |
By Mina Pollmann
In Baghdad, Tony Abbott continued to show strong support for U.S.-led efforts to defeat Islamic State.
On January 5, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott paid a surprise visit to Baghdad, making him the first Australian leader to visit Iraq since Julia Gillard in 2009. Australia is part of the U.S.-led coalition conducting airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS), and Abbott has been one of the United States’ strongest allies in this venture since IS began its brutal campaign last summer.
After initial dramatic advances by IS, which originated in Syria and swept into Iraq, the international community was mobilized. Since last August, the U.S.-led coalition (including Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates) has launched more than 900 air strikes against IS targets. When Obama approved the use of air strikes, Abbott backed the decision to conduct airstrikes in Iraq and defend minorities from attacks by IS, calling the organization a “highly potent insurgent army” that could “pose a significant threat to international security.” Abbott’s visit to Iraq last week was his first to the country since those airstrikes began.
While in Baghdad, Abbott promised to strengthen support for the legitimate Iraqi government. His conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi focused on further military cooperation, including the training and equipping of Iraqi soldiers. Abbott also visited the 200 Australian Special Forces currently stationed in Baghdad to personally thank them for being “prepared to put your country first in a way that almost no one else is.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat