BAGHDAD
Australia will lend 'necessary support' to the Iraqi government to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, or the ISIL and other terror groups, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Saturday.
Bishop is in Baghdad to discuss the threats from the terror groups with her counterpart Ibrahim al Jaafari.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, she said “the Australian government will provide the necessary support to Iraq to fight against the ISIL and radical terrorist organizations.”
The foreign minister said the ISIL group was a danger to the entire world, if it was not halted.
She, however, underlined that the Australian government was not planning to send any ground troops to fight the ISIL in Iraq.
"We will provide assistance only at the invitation of and with the consent of the Iraqi government," Bishop said.
"Entering the Australian ground troops into Iraq is the red line, because this could affect the country's sovereignty," she added.
Ongoing clashes
At least 28 ISIL militants were killed in clashes with the Iraqi army Saturday in eastern Iraq’s Diyala governorate, Iraqi officials said.
"The ISIL militants were killed by Iraqi security air forces and local militias," Diyala Provincial Council President Sadiq al-Husseini told Anadolu Agency.
According to the UN, at least 24,015 civilians were killed or injured in Iraq during the first eight months of 2014.
The ISIL violence has caused 1.2 million Iraqis, including Turkmen, Arabs, Christians and Ezidis, to flee their homes.
www.aa.com.tr/en
