Islamic State war: Australian warship joins French aircraft carrier in Middle East

AN AUSTRALIAN warship with about 200 crew will join a French aircraft carrier that is in the Middle East fighting Islamic extremists.

HMAS Darwin has arrived in her namesake city for an overnight port visit enroute to operations in the Middle East. Shortly before she arrives in Darwin, the warship will log her one millionth nautical mile.

AN AUSTRALIAN warship with about 200 crew will join a French aircraft carrier that is in the Middle East fighting Islamic extremists.

The new commitment came as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull arrived in the US to meet President Barack Obama, days after Mr Obama called for Australia and other partners to do more against IS.

Mr Turnbull visited Iraq and Afghanistan on his way to the US, and said Australia would not commit more troops to the war on IS. The French request came before Washington’s.

The Advertiser revealed in November that France had asked Australia to send one of its frigates to join Task Force 50 to fight IS in Syria and Iraq. Pressure to send a warship increased after IS militants killed about 130 people in Paris.

The Government confirmed yesterday they will send a guided missile frigate to meet the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which works alongside fighter jets, submarines and other warships, and escort it out of danger as its mission ends.

“The Royal Australian Navy Frigate, HMAS Darwin, will join the Charles de Gaulle Carrier Strike Group on its departure from the Strait of Hormuz in late February 2016, to provide escort, force protection support and combined training opportunities,” Defence Minister Marise Payne said.

The nuclear-powered Charles de Gaulle is the head of a flotilla that gathers intelligence and helps the US-led coalition launch air strikes against IS.

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Marise Payne will go to Paris today to discuss the IS threat. She will meet US, French, German, Italian, Dutch and UK Defence Ministers.

A statement from her office said Australia was committed to defeating IS.

“We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our coalition partners in the common challenge of defeating this terrorist threat,” it said.

“The discussions will focus on the global threat posed by Daesh (IS). The minister will also take the opportunity to discuss broader security challenges.”

The HMAS Darwin set off for the region at the end of last year. It has missiles, anti-submarine technology and hangars for two Seahawk helicopters.

In Afghanistan on the weekend, Mr Turnbull told Australian troops they were making a “real difference”, helping the nation “stand on its own two feet”.

“Enabling Afghanistan to be safer, to be more secure, to be able to defend itself with their own people, is absolutely critical to the world’s security and indeed to ours,” he told them.

He also committed another 20 personnel to the mission.

Last week, the Government declined Washington’s request for more help in Iraq and Syria. Ms Payne pointed out that the US had sent the same request to about 40 countries, and said Australia was already making “substantial contributions”.

Originally published as Islamic State war: Australian warship joins French aircraft carrier in Middle East