First, we heard Republican presidential candidates in the debates Wednesday night saying they would send thousands of USA ground troops into Syria and Iraq to battle the Islamic State.
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A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18A Hornet fighter destroyed an IS armoured personnel carrier with a guided missile two days ago, Andrews said.
“Two of our Hornets identified the personnel carrier, which was hidden in a Daesh compound”.
“I can confirm this morning that the Australian Air Task Group has carried out its first successful mission over eastern Syria“, the minister said.
Military aircraft were not at risk of enemy fire, Andrews said, adding that strict guidance and controls were in place to limit civilian impact. “This was done from a distance or height that preserved the safety of the Australian aircraft”, he said.
“Currently, we believe that there are about 900 in ISIL, and close to 300 hundred with al-Nusra”, the official said, while responding to a question on the number of Turks among foreign fighters in neighboring Syria and Iraq.
The United States, Canada, Turkey and Gulf states have already been involved in strikes on IS militants in Syria, while France has been carrying out surveillance flights over Syria in preparation for air strikes.
Iraqi ambassador Mouayed Saleh says his country wholeheartedly supports Australia’s decision to extend air operations into Syria.
“This move by Australia is well appreciated and welcomed by Iraq because we have been asking and discussing this issue for some time now”, he told Sky News on Friday.
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Mr Saleh said Iraqi troops were making good progress in pushing IS forces towards the border and needed some support from the Syrian side.
