Australian Ground Troops Join Fight Against ISIS After Agreement Reached With Iraq

Iraq and Australia have reached an agreement to allow 200 Australian special forces troops to join the fight against the Islamic State group. The unit was supposed to be in the country around a month ago but was delayed because of a legal issue between the two countries.

Australia's ForeignMinister Julie Bishop said that the final decision to use the troops rested with the military. The country, which is one of the major supporters of the U.S.-led coalition against ISIS and began participating in bombing raids earlier this month, has committed a total of 600 troops.

"We have reached an agreement for a legal framework and now it will be a matter for our military when our special forces will be deployed," Bishop said at the end of a two-day trip to Baghdad.

Despite some military success in Kobani, where airstrikes have helped stop the advance of the extremist group, U.S.-led air raids have done little to stop ISIS advancing in Iraq and Syria, leading some U.S. Republicans to call for American troops on the ground.

The group, which is notorious for its brutal tactics and beheadings, has been conducting suicide attacks around some of the biggest cities in Iraq and Syria. Its recent assault on the Syrian border town of Kobani has largely been halted, but according to various media reports ISIS began a new assault on Sunday evening.