Australia open to possibility of deploying more forces after Ramadi, Palmyra losses
By national security and defence reporter Andrew Greene

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has left open the possibility of sending more troops to Iraq, after the US defence secretary accused local forces of lacking the will to fight the Islamic State (IS) group.

IS fighters have appeared on the back foot in Iraq in recent months, but twin offensives on Ramadi and on the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra have swung the momentum.

The loss of Ramadi, capital of Iraq's largest province of Anbar, raised questions over the strategy adopted not only by Baghdad, but also by Washington to tackle IS.

Pentagon chief Ashton Carter told CNN that Baghdad's worst military defeat in almost a year could have been avoided.

"What apparently happened was the Iraqi forces showed no will to fight," he said.

"They were not outnumbered, and they vastly outnumbered the opposing force, and they failed to fight and withdrew from the site."

    Australia has been more than ready to be an utterly reliable partner to the United States.
    Prime Minister Tony Abbott

Australia currently has about 600 personnel involved in the fight against the IS group as part of "Operation Okra", as well as 300 soldiers attached to Task Group Taji which is helping to train Iraqi forces.

"The serious setback in Ramadi just emphasises how challenging the task is and how necessary the task is," Mr Abbott said.

"The final point I should make is that the one Iraqi security force element that most stuck to its post and withdrew from Ramadi as a formed unit, as opposed to a disorganised group, was the unit, the counter-terrorism service of the Iraqi security forces that we have been advising and assisting in our initial placement at Baghdad International Airport," he told reporters in Canberra.

But Mr Abbott did not rule out Australia bolstering its contribution if the US chose to increase its military commitment.

"The United States is obviously the leading Western country," Mr Abbott said.

"We don't expect the United States to do what needs to be done in the defence of decency right around the world on its own and that's why Australia has been more than ready to be an utterly reliable partner to the United States.

"I think in this, as in so many things, the world does look to the United States for leadership.

"As always, we stand ready to work with our partners and allies, the United States, the Iraqis, our other international and regional partners, to do what we can to help.

"It's quite a substantial contribution that we are already making."

Why don't you step up bucket mouth?

Instead of suggesting people of retiring age don the mantle. 

Come on regressive muslim haters ... join the ground war.

Gnads and The Mechanic are first to soil their trousers and disappear over the hill in a cloud of blather.

White feathers for the cowards.

Even if we helped to clean up Iraq & Syria within 1 year
all those crazy Muslims would be back &
doing what they are so good at :

cutting off heads
crucifying Christians
raping women.

Prime Minister for Canyons wrote on May 26^th, 2015 at 12:13pm:


Islam has always wanted a caliphate.