DHAKA: The Australian cabinet has given its approval for fighter jets to join the US-led military action against Islamic State targets in Iraq.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said IS was a "death cult" that had "declared war on the world" and must be stopped.

IS controls a broad swathe of territory, spanning a borderless stretch of Syria and Iraq.

The UN says the militant Islamists have committed a "staggering array" of human rights abuses.

In a statement, Abbott said approving military force was "not a decision the government has taken lightly" but that "Iraq should not be alone" in its fight against the militants.

He said the cabinet had also authorised the deployment of special forces to assist and advise the Iraqi military. The action would continue for "months rather than weeks".

The US and Arab allies have been bombing IS targets in Syria and Iraq for the past fortnight. European countries have been attacking only Iraqi sites.

Australia's decision to join the military action comes amid a growing concern about the number of Australians fighting with IS.

Canberra has already sent 600 troops and warplanes to a US base in the United Arab Emirates.

BDST: 0914 HRS, OCT 03, 2014