Australian demonstrators have staged a rally in Sydney, protesting foreign-backed Takfiri militants engaged in a war of terror across Iraq.
Australian natives and immigrants from various religious and ethnic backgrounds joined the Saturday rally to express support for the Iraqi people and condemn terrorist acts by the notorious, al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group, known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)
The protesters in Sydney insisted that the ongoing conflict in Iraq is not between Shia and Sunni Muslims, as falsely alleged by the terror group and its regional backers, but between the ISIL militants and the Iraqi security forces and government.
The protesters further urged the Australian government to increase its humanitarian aid to Iraq and make efforts to prevent local Takfiri extremists in their country from joining the ISIL terror campaign.
The ISIL militants have been operating in Iraq and Syria and are engaged in horrible acts of terror in areas under their control, including mass executions of government forces as well as destruction of Christian and Muslim shrines and places of worship.
The development comes amid a recent announcement by Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop that nearly 150 Australian nationals are believed to have joined Takfiri militants in Syria and Iraq, raising concerns about potential terrorist threats they may pose to their home country.
Bishop told Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday that she has cancelled a number of passports on the advice of security agencies.
“Our best estimate is that there are about 150 Australians...who have been or are still fighting with opposition groups in Syria and beyond,” she said.
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