MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the minister, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter filed a request to 39 countries, including Australia, concerning their contribution to anti-Daesh fight as part of the US-led coalition.
"We will respond to the United States in due course. But when you bear in mind what we are already doing," Payne was quoted as saying by the 9News TV Channel.
The defense minister also emphasized that the country has already made a "very significant commitment."
Australia is among over 60 countries that have joined the US-led air campaign against the Islamic State (IS, or Daesh in Arabic) terrorist group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
In 2014, Australia dispatched six Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets to Iraq to fight Daesh.
