DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Some 200 Australian commandos are ready to fight the Islamic State (ISIS), but for the time being they are battling Iraqi bureaucracy – waiting in the Gulf for visas to enter Iraq.
Australia was the first country to commit troops to the international effort against ISIS, but the elite warriors have been waiting for at least a month and some have been waiting for two months, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
It reported a knowledgeable source as saying that the Iraqi government's delay was probably due to political caution in allowing foreign troops on the ground.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari was quoted as saying earlier this month that Baghdad was "absolutely against foreign military bases and the presence of foreign military forces."
"Yes, we did ask for help, but it concerned air cover," he said. "We are completely against the deployment of foreign troops on our territory, as it can cause justifiable fears and concerns among the Iraqi population," he said.
The Australian forces are waiting at the Al Minhad air base in the United Arab Emirates. Their role in Iraq will be to “advise and assist” local forces.
US President Barack Obama says ISIS can be routed with airstrikes and by arming Kurds, Iraqis and moderate Syrian opposition fighters as ground forces. Critics say he over-depends on air power and that ISIS cannot be defeated without large troops on the ground.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s Peshmerga forces have so far been the main bulwark against ISIS on the frontlines, helped by US-led airstrikes and advanced weapons from around the world, including Australia.
Iraq’s own military has been struggling to get back on its feet ever since it collapsed in the face of an ISIS onslaught in June that saw the militants capturing large swathes of territory, including the second-largest city, Mosul.
In early August Islamist militants waged multi-front attacks against the Kurdish forces, capturing several towns, including Shingal, killing hundreds of Yezidi and Christian civilians and displacing tens of thousands.
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