Military Action Against ISIS 'Morally Right' But New Zealand PM John Key Remains Undecided
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has yet to decide on the possibility of sending troops to Iraq to fight ISIS but believes it is "morally right" for the country to express its support. He told Radio New Zealand that if left alone, ISIS militants will "rain carnage on the world." The prime minister said he was still comparing the benefits and risks of approving a military response. He has vowed the government will be careful in weighing its options.
However, the prime minister believes military action is "morally justified" since he thinks ISIS militants are "very bad people" who have gone out of control. When asked if it was morally right to go for a military action, Mr Key replied in the affirmative but said it doesn't mean New Zealand will have to take that option.
He explained that the Iraqi government is asking for help to stop ISIS from taking more civilians captive and conduct public beheadings. Mr Key believes New Zealand will have to decide if it will play a useful role and if it will be worth it. He reiterated that he will arrive at a final decision in the next few weeks.
Mr Key has previously revealed his options for New Zealand's response range from humanitarian aid to sending troops. He said sending special forces would be the last option to be considered. Reports said he was open to the idea of deploying troops to help Iraqi soldiers train in combat against ISIS.
Meanwhile, British hostage John Cantlie has claimed ISIS has taken control of the Syrian town of Kobani. Appearing in a new video, Cantlie said the town is mostly under the control of ISIS militants contrary to the accounts of Western media. He alleged that the war is over and ISIS fighters are "mopping up." In a report by CNN, Kurdish forces said the battle was far from over as they await the arrival of Iraqi Kurdish forces as reinforcements.
ISIS' latest video featuring Cantlie showed the British journalist in the field describing the town of Kobani. Reports said Cantlie had appeared closer to the border as Turkish flags can be seen from the background.