Australia to accept 12,000 refugees, extend anti-IS air strikes into Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Australia will accept 12,000 refugees from Syria on top of its current humanitarian intake quota, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Wednesday, September 9 bowing to pressure from an angry opposition, and extend air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq into Syria, according to Reuters.

Abbott had said on Sunday that Australia would allocate more spaces in its 13,750 annual quota to those fleeing violence in Syria, without boosting overall arrivals.

The one-off move to offer refuge to those fleeing the four-year-old civil war in Syria would prioritize members of persecuted minorities, Abbott said.

"Australia remains committed to the international effort to counter Daesh, which threatens stability in Iraq and the Middle East and the security of Australians at home and in our region," he told reporters in Canberra, using an Arabic name for Islamic State.

The Royal Australian Air Force is already taking part in the U.S.-led coalition campaign against Islamic State targets in Iraq, but its aerial role in Syria has so far been limited to refueling and intelligence gathering.

The decision to expand air strikes was in response to a formal request from Washington, Abbott said.

Australia also committed to directly pay for the support of 240,000 displaced people in countries neighboring Syria and Iraq, Abbott said, at a cost of A$44 million ($31.03 million).

Refugee advocates praised the decision to allow in the displaced Syrians. At the same time, the move to wade deeper into the conflict in Syria drew harsh rebukes from Abbott's political opponents.