‘Australia will respond when a formal request is made,’ says Julie Bishop, adding there is no interest to commit combat troops

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Australia has announced it is prepared to participate in future air strikes against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq as part of a coalition of like-minded countries.

Foreign minister Julie Bishop and Defence minister David Johnston met with their counterparts from the United States, the United Kingdom and other western countries on Friday at the NATO summit in Wales.

Bishop said leaders discussed a range of options to combat the scourge of Islamic State (Isis) in Iraq.

“The countries that have expressed a willingness to tackle Isil head on have also looked at what more can be done in terms of air strikes and Australia will respond when a formal request is made,” Bishop told reporters at Celtic Manor golf resort in Newport.

“The red line is combat troops on the ground. There is no interest from any country present to commit combat troops.

“But there is much that can be done to combat Isil in other ways and Australia is prepared to play its part in combating Isil because it is a direct domestic security threat to Australia.”

The Australian foreign minister said the leaders discussed the need to work closely with an inclusive Iraq government, provide humanitarian relief “as well as supporting a US-led coalition that will seek to tackle Isil head on”.

Bishop said while US air strikes to date had had a significant impact, more needed to be done to stop Isis expanding beyond the region. However, she stressed Canberra was yet to receive an official request for combat assistance.

Friday’s meeting on the sidelines of the Nato summit was led by the US and the United Kingdom with foreign and defence secretaries from like-minded countries, including Australia, attending.