Former prime minister Tony Abbott said he would have looked "sympathetically" at deploying Australian special forces to directly engage with the Islamic State terrorist group.

But he conceded a request from the US and Iraq had not come through by the time he was replaced by Malcolm Turnbull as Liberal leader.

While Australian fighter jets have targeted IS strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the Australian Army and special forces have been restricted to training and advisory roles for Iraqi troops.

Mr Abbott told the West Australian newspaper he would have been prepared to put boots on the ground as well, but ran out of time because he was ousted as prime minister.

"I certainly would have been prepared as prime minister to look sympathetically at any American request for special operations forces on the ground but by the time that was being urgently considered, I was no longer prime minister," he said.

Mr Abbott committed Australian forces to the Iraqi conflict in 2014, which was later expanded to include air strikes against IS targets in Syria.

It was widely speculated he was also considering a wider role for either special forces commandos or the Special Air Service Regiment (SAS).

"Had an American request come through in my time for special operations forces I certainly would have been more than prepared to consider it," Mr Abbott said.

Mr Turnbull this week announced extra support and training for Iraqi police and border guards in areas reclaimed from IS, following requests from the US and Iraqi Governments.

An extra 15 troops will soon join 300 Australian Defence Force personnel already deployed in Iraq.