Australia's Links To Islamic State Fighters

Australia has come of age - the age of terrorism is upon it.

Once shielded by its distance and isolation, the island continent now finds itself in the gun sights of Islamic militancy.

This should not come as a surprise. Australian forces have been active in operations around the Middle East and Africa that have enraged al Qaeda and its heirs in Islamic State.

Hundreds of Australian troops, including members of the Special Air Service, are on the ground in Iraq training soldiers to fight IS, while its bombers are part of the international coalition attacking fighters who have unleashed their death cult most bloodily in Iraq's north.

An estimated 60 to 70 Australians are believed to have travelled to Syria to join IS.

Among them is Abdullah Elmir, 17, who recently appeared in an IS recruitment video exhorting supporters to attack Australia and America.

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He is believed to have been recruited by Mohammed Ali Baryalei, a former bouncer, who also managed to get Mohammed Elomar, 30, to Syria where he tweeted a picture of an Iraqi soldier pleading for his life and said: "Look at the end of these Iraqi Maliki dogs bunch of girls can't wait to see an Australian soldier crying saying bakia."

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In September, 800 Australian police officers were deployed in the nation's biggest counter terrorism operation ever to thwart an alleged plot to behead an innocent civilian.

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They have apparently been inspired by Australians and are calling on their fellow countrymen to join them at war in a 13-minute production titled "There Is No Life Without Jihad".

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Another Australian, named as Brother Abu Nour al Iraqi, says his "reasons for coming to jihad are plenty" and "when it comes to jihad there are two types of people".

"Those who will fight every single excuse to come to jihad, and those who will fight every single excuse not to come to jihad,"' the man says from behind a face mask.

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[link to news.sky.com]