| Advertisement |
CANBERRA, Australia, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Australia is joining an international coalition targeting Islamic State militants in Syria with airstrikes, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday. Abbott approved Royal Australian Air Force bombing raids on IS territory in Syria, joining a growing coalition including the United States, Canada and Turkey.
Advertisement
Australia was already involved in its own bombing campaign against IS targets in Iraq.
Abbott also agreed to resettle 12,000 Syrian refugees in Australia. The government will accept Syrian refugees determined to be the subject of persecution, giving priority to women and children.
These refugees will be able to live in Australia permanently, which will bode well with Australians, the majority of whom support easing policies, a recent opinion poll shows. A survey from Lonergan Research found 57 percent of people believe Australia should take in more Syrian refugees, though 54 percent think Abbott is doing a poor job handling the situation.
Australians are still in support of the government's Operation Sovereign Border, which blocks asylum seekers coming to Australia illegally and detains them at small Pacific Islands nearby.
Several so-called "Light the Dark" candlelight vigils drew large crowds in Sydney and Canberra in recent days, demonstrating public support for a more formidable humanitarian response from the Australian government.
News of Australia's new refugee policy comes as countries in the Europe Union struggle to cope with an ever-increasing number of migrants. It also marks an about-face for the typically conservative and uncomprimising approach taken by the Australian government toward migrants.
Abbott said the new flights over Syria would not represent "a marked increase" in risk to RAAF pilots.
Cities of conflict between President Bashar Assad's forces and rebels, such as Aleppo and Damascus, would not be touched on the grounds that there is no legal basis for Australia to launch attacks there.
