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| Tony Abbott says extreme force needed to counter Isis 'death cult' | Tony Abbott says extreme force needed to counter Isis 'death cult' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Tony Abbott has compared the gruesome actions of Islamic State (Isis) to atrocities of the 20th century, saying the Nazis were ashamed of their crimes whereas “this mob” was proudly promoting its ghastly behaviour on the internet. | Tony Abbott has compared the gruesome actions of Islamic State (Isis) to atrocities of the 20th century, saying the Nazis were ashamed of their crimes whereas “this mob” was proudly promoting its ghastly behaviour on the internet. |
| The prime minister mounted his case for efforts to protect Iraqis from the threat posed by Isis, while playing down reports a RAAF plane was lucky to avoid being hit by machine-gun fire during an operation to drop food and water supplies to a town in northern Iraq on Sunday. | The prime minister mounted his case for efforts to protect Iraqis from the threat posed by Isis, while playing down reports a RAAF plane was lucky to avoid being hit by machine-gun fire during an operation to drop food and water supplies to a town in northern Iraq on Sunday. |
| The Australian Defence Force chief, Mark Binskin, responded to a News Corp article about the humanitarian airdrop to Amreli by saying he had no information to suggest the C-130 Hercules came under fire. “Ground fire not directed at an aircraft is not unusual in a war zone,” Binskin said. | The Australian Defence Force chief, Mark Binskin, responded to a News Corp article about the humanitarian airdrop to Amreli by saying he had no information to suggest the C-130 Hercules came under fire. “Ground fire not directed at an aircraft is not unusual in a war zone,” Binskin said. |
| Abbott also said there was no report of direct gunfire but “there may well have been fire in the area” because the RAAF plane had been flying into an active combat zone. | Abbott also said there was no report of direct gunfire but “there may well have been fire in the area” because the RAAF plane had been flying into an active combat zone. |
| “These are dire and dreadful things that we are discussing, but sadly, sometimes dire and dreadful measures are necessary in response to the pure evil that we are now seeing across a large swath of the Middle East thanks to this hideous movement,” the prime minister told 2GB on Tuesday. | “These are dire and dreadful things that we are discussing, but sadly, sometimes dire and dreadful measures are necessary in response to the pure evil that we are now seeing across a large swath of the Middle East thanks to this hideous movement,” the prime minister told 2GB on Tuesday. |
| “The difficulty here is that these people do exalt in death; they absolutely revel in killing. | “The difficulty here is that these people do exalt in death; they absolutely revel in killing. |
| “We’ve seen in the century just gone, the most unspeakable things happen, but the atrocities that were committed by the Nazis, by the communists and others, they were ashamed of them, they tried to cover them up. | “We’ve seen in the century just gone, the most unspeakable things happen, but the atrocities that were committed by the Nazis, by the communists and others, they were ashamed of them, they tried to cover them up. |
| “This mob, by contrast, as soon as they’ve done something gruesome and ghastly and unspeakable, they’re advertising it on the internet for all to see which makes them, in my mind, nothing but a death cult and that’s why I think it’s quite proper to respond with extreme force against people like this.” | “This mob, by contrast, as soon as they’ve done something gruesome and ghastly and unspeakable, they’re advertising it on the internet for all to see which makes them, in my mind, nothing but a death cult and that’s why I think it’s quite proper to respond with extreme force against people like this.” |
| Abbott said US air strikes on Isis targets had relieved the siege of Mount Sinjar and helped relieve the siege of Amreli, with both locations being the recipients of Australian food deliveries. | Abbott said US air strikes on Isis targets had relieved the siege of Mount Sinjar and helped relieve the siege of Amreli, with both locations being the recipients of Australian food deliveries. |
| “Air strikes might not roll back their existing conquests but air strikes can certainly prevent, or very substantially hinder, new conquests and this is why I think the world should be grateful to President Obama for taking the action that he has,” Abbott said. | “Air strikes might not roll back their existing conquests but air strikes can certainly prevent, or very substantially hinder, new conquests and this is why I think the world should be grateful to President Obama for taking the action that he has,” Abbott said. |
| “He hasn’t been trigger happy, he hasn’t rushed in, he has been very careful about this and I think that’s to his credit … because the last thing any of us should want to do is rush in to a difficult conflict in the Middle East. By the same token none of us should want to stand by while an avoidable preventable genocide takes place. That’s why I think President Obama’s actions have been wise and just.” | “He hasn’t been trigger happy, he hasn’t rushed in, he has been very careful about this and I think that’s to his credit … because the last thing any of us should want to do is rush in to a difficult conflict in the Middle East. By the same token none of us should want to stand by while an avoidable preventable genocide takes place. That’s why I think President Obama’s actions have been wise and just.” |
| Australia has left the door open to considering any US request for greater military involvement, including the potential use of Super Hornets in air strikes. Australia’s pre-existing commitment is to carry out humanitarian airdrops and also to transport arms and other military equipment to Kurdish fighters in an attempt to counter the advance of Isis. The Greens argued in parliament on Monday that Abbott seemed to lack a clear long-term strategy for engagement in Iraq. | Australia has left the door open to considering any US request for greater military involvement, including the potential use of Super Hornets in air strikes. Australia’s pre-existing commitment is to carry out humanitarian airdrops and also to transport arms and other military equipment to Kurdish fighters in an attempt to counter the advance of Isis. The Greens argued in parliament on Monday that Abbott seemed to lack a clear long-term strategy for engagement in Iraq. |
| Abbott, who made an address to parliament warning of the risk of not acting in the face of preventable genocide, said it would be a “disaster” for the west and for the Middle East if Isis was allowed to entrench itself. | Abbott, who made an address to parliament warning of the risk of not acting in the face of preventable genocide, said it would be a “disaster” for the west and for the Middle East if Isis was allowed to entrench itself. |
| “The first victims of any successful [Isis] push will be the existing governments of the Middle East, whether it be the Iraqi government, whether it be the Iranian government, whether it be the Saudi government or the Jordanian government or indeed the Assad regime [in Syria],” he told 2GB. | |
| “Basically this death cult has it in for everyone and everything that doesn’t strictly conform to their own narrow version of what’s right in the eyes of God.” | “Basically this death cult has it in for everyone and everything that doesn’t strictly conform to their own narrow version of what’s right in the eyes of God.” |
| Abbott underlined the security risk if the 60 Australians believed to be fighting with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria sought to return home. | Abbott underlined the security risk if the 60 Australians believed to be fighting with extremist groups in Iraq and Syria sought to return home. |
| “We can’t stop Australian citizens from returning to our country, but if they have been involved in this kind of activity, our absolute intention is to detain them, to prosecute them, to jail them, to keep them off the streets, because people who will kill without compunction abroad are hardly going to be model citizens at home,” he said. | “We can’t stop Australian citizens from returning to our country, but if they have been involved in this kind of activity, our absolute intention is to detain them, to prosecute them, to jail them, to keep them off the streets, because people who will kill without compunction abroad are hardly going to be model citizens at home,” he said. |
| The interviewer, Alan Jones, did not ask Abbott about comments by Iraq’s ambassador to Australia that any weapons intended for delivery to Kurdish fighters should be provided via the central government in Baghdad. Abbott had previously said the planned weapons airlift had “the full support of the Iraqi government”. | The interviewer, Alan Jones, did not ask Abbott about comments by Iraq’s ambassador to Australia that any weapons intended for delivery to Kurdish fighters should be provided via the central government in Baghdad. Abbott had previously said the planned weapons airlift had “the full support of the Iraqi government”. |
| The Iraqi ambassador to Australia, Mouayed Saleh, emphasised the need for central coordination in an interview on Sky News on Monday, saying he had not yet had the chance to express this view to the Australian government. | |
| Saleh told reporters on Tuesday his comments had been taken out of context, and the Iraqi government had approved the operation. | |
| Abbott’s office said on Monday evening that consignments would first be taken to Baghdad for inspection by Iraqi government authorities, and the Australian embassy in Baghdad was “in direct contact with the Iraqi government to secure the necessary approvals”. | Abbott’s office said on Monday evening that consignments would first be taken to Baghdad for inspection by Iraqi government authorities, and the Australian embassy in Baghdad was “in direct contact with the Iraqi government to secure the necessary approvals”. |
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