No request for Iraq trainers, Bishop says
The Abbott government is waiting on a specific request from Washington before agreeing to commit Australian troops to a US-led effort to train Iraqi forces fighting the Islamic State group.
The US wants to bolster Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the north of the country and is likely to seek help from partners including Australia.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop says Australia has yet to receive a request for assistance from the Obama administration.
"We will consider any request when it's received, weigh the risks and assess what role we can play," she told ABC Radio on Tuesday.
"Ideally it would be best for the Iraqi security forces to defend the country against the murderous band of terrorists."
The development comes as a Newspoll shows three-out-of-five Australians are in favour of the government providing humanitarian aid and weapons to forces opposing Islamic State militants.
A separate poll in the US found Americans supported US involvement in Iraq, with 76 per cent backing airstrikes, 62 per cent providing military aid, and 83 per cent approving of humanitarian relief.
President Barack Obama will announce his highly-anticipated strategy to defeat IS on Wednesday, but has ruled out deploying ground troops.
But US Secretary of State John Kerry warned it could take the US, Australia and other nations in a global coalition years to defeat the IS in Iraq and Syria.
More than 40 nations are set to join the coalition.
"What we are working to accomplish will require hard work, sustained commitment and unwavering focus from all of us," Mr Kerry said in Washington, ahead of a Middle East trip to drum up support for the coalition.
