Australia PM accused of ‘blindly following’ US into Iraq

The Australian Labor Party has given bipartisan support to the deployment of Australian troops into the Middle East.

The deployment, announced yesterday, will include up to eight Super Hornet combat aircraft and a contingent of Special Forces military advisers.

However, the Greens have condemned the move as “mission creep” and accused Prime Minister Tony Abbott of “blindly” following the US into Iraq.

With tens of Australians known to be fighting with terrorist groups in the Middle East, Mr Abbott said the decision was as much about domestic security as international security.

Australia’s objective in any conflict would be the defeat of Islamic State in Iraq, he said.

“If the Iraqi government is once more reasonably capable of maintaining control over its own territory, maintaining internal security, that will be certainly a success,” he said.

He also rejected suggestions that Middle Eastern countries were unwilling to get involved in Iraq.

“Jordan, Bahrain and the UAE are committed to military action and there a number of other Middle Eastern countries that are preparing to commit to military action,” Mr Abbott said.

source: tvnz.nz