More countries join the ranks of those fighting against ISIS as a day after Britain, alongside the US, commenced air strikes on terrorist targets, Turkey and Australia are waiting for government approval to join the battle. Turkish soldiers and heavy artillery have lined up along the Syrian border on Tuesday while Australian aircrafts engaged in several reconnaissance flights above Iraq on Wednesday, in support of allied troops operations. While the Turkish government is expected to come up with a decision during Thursday’s special session, the Australian government is waiting for an invitation by Iraq in order to engage in the fight against ISIS, the terrorist group which has seized power over large parts of Syria and Iraq.
The entire campaign is led by the US, which has already invested up to $1 billion in air strikes, a sum that could easily rise as more costly military operations are underway, according to the Center for Strategic and Military Assessment. So far, Tuesday represented the busiest day as far as air strikes are concerned, with the US launching 26 attacks while the UK, who were supporting Kurdish forces fighting ISIS in northwestern Iraq, launched two, both of which were declared successful by UK’s defense ministry.
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Up until now, the US, France, the UK and some Arab countries are actually fighting against the US while Australia and Turkey are on the pending list and Belgium together with Denmark promised to provide military equipment. Meanwhile, on the ground, ISIS continues to gain terrain in the Kobani area which is near the Turkish border. They destroy every village in their path and force thousands to take refuge in the neighboring Turkey. Only in recent days, over 150,000 fled into Turkey, seeking to escape the ISIS terror.