Australia approves strikes against IS in Iraq

The Australian cabinet has given its approval for fighter jets to join the US-led military action against Islamic State targets in Iraq, the BBC reported.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said IS was a "death cult" that had "declared war on the world" and must be stopped.

IS controls a broad swathe of territory, spanning a borderless stretch of Syria and Iraq.

The US and Arab allies have been bombing IS targets in Iraq and Syria for the past two weeks.

European countries have been attacking only Iraqi sites.

On Thursday, the Turkish parliament backed a motion that could allow its military to enter Iraq and Syria to join the campaign.

IS militants have recently advanced close to the border with Turkey, prompting thousands of Kurdish refugees to cross the border. Turkey is already hosting more than a million Syrian refugees.

The UN says the militant Islamists have committed a "staggering array" of human rights abuses.

In a widely anticipated statement, Mr Abbott said approving military force was "not a decision the government has taken lightly" but that "Iraq should not be alone" in its fight against the militants.