Posted on 10/03/2014 5:20:58 AM PDT by naturalman1975
The federal government has approved air combat operations in Iraq to fight Islamic State extremists.
The decision to send in Super Hornets as part of a US-led mission came after a meeting of the national security committee and cabinet in Canberra on Friday.
'Today cabinet has authorised Australian air strikes in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government in support of the Iraqi government,' Prime Minister Tony Abbott said
'Also, subject to final legal documentation, cabinet has authorised the deployment of Australian special forces into Iraq to advise and assist Iraqi forces.'
Six Super Hornets, a Wedgetail surveillance aircraft, a KC-30 refueller and a special forces contingent have been pre-deployed to the United Arab Emirates.
Australia ended its military commitment to Iraq in July 2009, after six years of war involving more than 20,000 personnel.
He warned the mission would be 'quite lengthy' and would be months rather than weeks.
'I want to assure the Australian people this will be as long as it needs to be, and as short as it possibly can be,' he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Australia - fast becoming our #1 ally.
Excellent!
The Aussies were always steadfast in their support of the USA. Wonder when Obama will punish them for their support
I know they have always been with us; of late, though, they have stepped up their game, even as some of our other staunch allies are being driven away by a certain person’s personal and foreign policy initiatives.
PS - I, too, wonder how long it will be before that “certain person” does something outrageous enough to offend them.
He absolutely loved the Aussies, and never forgot the hospitality and care he received from them while recovering from his injuries.
The ship was the SS Mactan, as it actually belonged either to the Philippine government or some Philippine company (I cannot specifically recall right now). In any event, it was not a United States Ship.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.