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So far, Australian aircraft have been limited to humanitarian aid and delivering arms to Iraqi government-backed forces.

Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims or by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to high and undertaken a series of high-profile raids in major cities.

Officials believe up to 160 Australians have been either involved in fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting groups fighting there. At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and have been said to pose a security risk.

Read MoreBritish warplanes hit first Isis targets in Iraq

One man was charged on Tuesday with funding a terrorist organization, while another was arrested last month after police said they had thwarted a plot to behead a randomly selected member of the public.

Prominent Australian Muslims say their community is being unfairly targeted by law enforcement and threatened by right-wing groups, and there are concerns that policies aimed at combating radical Islamists could create a backlash.

Abbott said Islamic State poses a grave threat to both Australia and the wider world and that Canberra could not afford to shirk its responsibility to contribute militarily to "degrading" the group's capabilities.

Read MoreISIS fight widens as UK approves airstrikes

"The Americans certainly have quite a substantial special forces component on the ground already," he said.

"My understanding is that there are U.K. and Canadian special forces already inside Iraq, so we'll be operating on a much smaller scale but in an entirely comparable way to the United States special forces."

See the original post:
Australia announces airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq

So far, Australian aircraft have been limited to humanitarian aid and delivering arms to Iraqi government-backed forces.

Australia is on high alert for attacks by radicalized Muslims or by home-grown militants returning from fighting in the Middle East, having raised its threat level to high and undertaken a series of high-profile raids in major cities.

Officials believe up to 160 Australians have been either involved in fighting in the Middle East or actively supporting groups fighting there. At least 20 are believed to have returned to Australia and have been said to pose a security risk.

Read MoreBritish warplanes hit first Isis targets in Iraq

One man was charged on Tuesday with funding a terrorist organization, while another was arrested last month after police said they had thwarted a plot to behead a randomly selected member of the public.

Prominent Australian Muslims say their community is being unfairly targeted by law enforcement and threatened by right-wing groups, and there are concerns that policies aimed at combating radical Islamists could create a backlash.

Abbott said Islamic State poses a grave threat to both Australia and the wider world and that Canberra could not afford to shirk its responsibility to contribute militarily to "degrading" the group's capabilities.

Read MoreISIS fight widens as UK approves airstrikes

"The Americans certainly have quite a substantial special forces component on the ground already," he said.

"My understanding is that there are U.K. and Canadian special forces already inside Iraq, so we'll be operating on a much smaller scale but in an entirely comparable way to the United States special forces."

Read the rest here:
Australia OKs airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq

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The Prime Minister has announced approval for air strikes in Iraq and the deployment of 200 special force soldiers, warning the campaign is dangerous and could be "quite lengthy".

Tony Abbott has given the go-ahead for RAAF fighters to begin air strikes against the feared Islamic State in Iraq, marking the start of Australia's military involvement in a campaign likely to last months or even years.

The federal government has also given the green light to sending about 200 Special Forces advisers to Iraq to advise and assist local forces on the ground, though the Australians will not take part in independent combat operations.

After the government's National Security Committee gave a nod to air combat operations, the full cabinet then approved the action and the opposition was also briefed.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott, with Defence Minister David Johnston and chief of the Defence Force Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin, announces the security committee's decision. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

The Australian Defence Force has been planning its air missions around a start date of Sunday, it is understood.

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At a press conference in Canberra on Friday with Defence Minister David Johnston and defence chief Mark Binskin, Mr Abbott confirmed cabinet had authorised the military action at the request of the Iraqi government.

"I have to warn that thisdeployment toIraqcould bequite lengthy, certainlymonths rather than weeks," Mr Abbott said.

Read this article:
Iraq mission to disrupt Islamic State

By Becky Brittain

updated 7:49 AM EDT, Fri October 3, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- President Obama's former defense secretary, Leon Panetta, says if the White House had listened to his advice on U.S. troop levels in Iraq, the country's security situation may not have unraveled.

"To this day, I believe that a small U.S. troop presence in Iraq could have effectively advised the Iraqi military on how to deal with al-Qaeda's resurgence and the sectarian violence that has engulfed the country," Panetta writes in his upcoming autobiography, due out next week.

President Obama announced in October 2011 that virtually all of the 39,000 U.S. troops would leave Iraq by the end of that year. Obama had said that it was a fulfillment to his 2008 campaign promise to bring troops in Iraq home. But at the same time, talks to get the Status of Forces Agreement, which provided immunity from prosecution to those troops, were at a standstill due to the internal politics of Iraq.

Panetta, who said he argued behind the scenes and publicly for a small amount of troops to be left for additional training for Iraq's military, was frustrated with White House negotiations on the deal. Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy led the administration's efforts in the heated debate.

"Those on our side viewed the White House as so eager to rid itself of Iraq that it was willing to withdraw rather than lock in arrangements that would preserve our influence and interests," he said in excerpts of the book released by Time Magazine.

He writes that his views were shared by other military commanders in the region and the Joint Chiefs of Staff but he believes that the Commander-in-Chief could have done more.

"Officials there seemed content to endorse an agreement if State and Defense could reach one, but without the President's active advocacy, al-Maliki was allowed to slip away. The deal never materialized," writes Panetta.

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Panetta blames Obama for ignoring his advice in Iraq

Stories of Christian Persecution | Iraq #39;s Refugees
This video gives us a glimpse of the shattered lives of persecuted Iraqi Christians who have been displaced by the violence and terrorism in their homeland. Many Christians have had to move...

By: Open Doors USA

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Stories of Christian Persecution | Iraq's Refugees - Video