Australia to ‘fully empower’ troops to combat Daesh

By Recep Sakar

MELBOURNE, Australia

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced Thursday that his government would “fully empower” troops combating Daesh by removing restrictions on overseas operations under the country’s rules of engagement.

“There is a legal argument that Australia’s domestic law is more restrictive than international law. This legal risk posed a major challenge to the effectiveness of our operations,” he was quoted by local media as telling parliament.

“It meant that the [Australian Defense Force] ADF’s targeting base in Iraq and Syria was restricted, and we could not operate as freely as our coalition partners.”

The amendments to the Commonwealth Criminal Code would allow security forces to target not only Daesh combatants, but those involved in logistics and support for the extremist group.

The amendments, which are reportedly “due soon”, would mostly impact Royal Australian Air Force pilots.

“I can announce that the government has reviewed its policy on targeting enemy combatants and earlier this year made an important decision to ensure our forces are empowered to act against Daesh in Iraq and Syria -- to the maximum extent allowed by international law,” Turnbull said Thursday.

“This will ensure that our efforts in Syria and Iraq are resolute and effective, and our forces are fully empowered to roll back Daesh.”

Meanwhile, Defense Force chief Mark Binskin said that under current domestic regulations, Australian forces could “only target those Daesh forces that are taking a direct and active part in hostilities”.

“It doesn’t allow us to target those important supporting elements that are key to their fighting ability, for example their logistics and support organizations,” The Australian quoted him as saying.

“And therefore we’ve not been able to maximize the combat capability of our deployed forces.”

The prime minister also stressed the need for harmony among Australians, warning against discrimination against Muslims.

"We cannot be effective if we are creating division, whether by fomenting distrust within the Muslim community or inciting fear of Muslims in broader society" he said. "Division begets division. It makes violence more likely, not less."