Australia is planning to build a new ground station near Geraldton to help the US direct unmanned drone attacks on terrorists and allow Australian and American forces to respond more quickly to crises. Lawmakers are considering giving police the authority to conduct surveillance and collect evidence in war zones such as Syria and Iraq. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in June that about 150 Australians have gone to “Syria and beyond” to fight in rebel groups. Saying the West should “just get over it,” Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia spokesman Uthman Badar recently complained that Prime Minister Abbot had depicted the terror group ISIS as “evil.” Popular Australian cleric Musa Cerantonio arrived in Syria to support the Islamic State.
