Australia's special forces are elite warriors with a fearsome reputation, but it seems they have met their match in Iraq – the Baghdad bureaucracy.

About 200 commandos are in the Middle East waiting to join the fight against Islamic State, but they have been told they cannot enter Iraq without valid visas.

In limbo: Australian special forces are waiting for Iraqi visas before they can join the fight against Islamic State.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop, was asked on Wednesday whether the troops were yet in Iraq and she declined to answer because of operational secrecy: "One doesn't flag what we intend to do to the enemy."

However, an informed source said the obstacle was not the enemy but the Iraqi government's excruciating inefficiency. Australian officials have been told it will take another week or two for visas to be granted.