Australian troops 'will not fight IS'

The so-called Islamic State (IS) group is weak and Australia has no plans to send combat troops to fight it, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says.

 Turnbull was speaking after shootings and bombings in Paris claimed by IS.

Australia is part of a US-led coalition bombing the group in Iraq and Syria.

His remarks contrasted with statements made by former prime minister Tony Abbott, who described IS as a "death cult".

IS hype

Turnbull told Australia's House of Representatives that IS relied on its propaganda network and "we must not be fooled by its hype".

But the group must be defeated militarily in Iraq and Syria, where it has overrun vast swathes of territory, he said.

"Its ideology is archaic, but its use of the internet is very modern. ISIL has many more smartphones than guns, more Twitter accounts than fighters.

"It does not command broad-based legitimacy even in those areas under its direct control. It is encircled by hostile forces. It is under military pressure."

Turnbull made the comments as part of national security statement to Australia's parliament.

Counter-productive

His statement comes after some Australian politicians, including former defence minister Kevin Andrews and  Abbott - now a backbench MP - said Australia should send combat troops to the Middle East.

Turnbull said the government of Iraq believed the presence of large numbers of Western troops in that country would be "counter-productive".

He also said the consensus of world leaders was that there was no appetite for a large-scale invasion of Syria.

The deployment of Australian combat troops to either Iraq or Syria would be neither "feasible" nor "practical", Turnbull said.

Currently there are around 90 Australian special forces soldiers advising counter-terror agencies in Iraq, as well as around 300 soldiers training members of the Iraqi national army

Australia also has six aircraft bombing IS positions in both Iraq and Syria as part of the US-led coalition.

Large commitment

 Turnbull said Australia's commitment to the Middle East conflict was already large given the country's size and geographic location.

"Larger for example than any European nation, larger than Canada or any of the neighbouring Arab states," Turnbull said.

Before Turnbull became prime minister he made a speech saying the country should not overplay the threat of IS.

Turnbull ousted Abbott as prime minister following a party vote in September and is the fourth person to hold that office since 2013.