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Australians fighting for IS in Iraq, Syria face "certain death": Aust'n PM

Xinhua, August 6, 2016 Adjust font size:

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has warned Australians fighting with Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East that they face "almost certain" death, as coalition forces in the area begin to take control of key battlegrounds.

On Saturday, Turnbull warned Australians both in the Middle East and those thinking of joining the fight in Iraq and Syria to strongly reconsider, as any IS "myth of invincibility" would soon be destroyed.

"Would-be recruits can see that travelling to Syria to fight with IS is joining a losing battle (leading to) almost certain death on the battlefield," Turnbull told News Corp on Saturday.

The prime minister said that not only has IS's "momentum" been halted, control is beginning to return to coalition forces.

"IS has not yet been defeated in Syria and Iraq, but it is being rolled back. We have not just halted IS's momentum, it has been turned back," Turnbull said.

"This is critically important to demolish IS's myth of invincibility and inevitable victory. Far from sweeping across Europe to stable their horses in the Vatican, IS is now seen on the defensive, losing territory, resources and lives."

The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) has said that up to 110 Australians are fighting in the Middle East, while 40 have died since conflict began in 2014.

Turnbull said information given to him indicates that IS has lost "half of its territory" in Iraq since initiating fighting.

"Now, thanks to the efforts of the Iraqi armed forces and their coalition partners, including the ADF, IS has lost close to half of the territory it held in Iraq and up to 20 percent of its territory in Syria," Turnbull said.

"In June, IS suffered its highest net territorial losses in over a year, including key ground near the Turkish border and the last city it controlled in Iraq's Anbar province, Fallujah."

While Australian soldiers are not engaging in combat against IS forces, Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel are training local soldiers and police near IS-held areas, while the nation's air force - in conjunction with the United States - is conducting missions over the Middle East. Endit