Australia said Friday it will soon launch six fighter jets that will conduct airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, joining the U.S.-led battle against the group.

The Australian government had sent the jets to a base in the United Arab Emirates last month, but until Friday hadn't announced any plans for imminent attacks, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Prime Minister Tony Abbot told the Australian media that the airstrike campaign against the Islamic State, which also is known as ISIL or ISIS, likely would be lengthy. The seven cabinet ministers who comprise Australia's National Security Committee approved the strikes.

"Yes, it is a combat deployment, but it is essentially a humanitarian mission to protect the people of Iraq and ultimately the people of Australia from the murderous rage of the ISIL death cult," Abbott said. "ISIL must be disrupted and degraded at home and abroad, so it is absolutely in Australia's national interests that this mission go ahead."

Australian officials weren't specific about plans for the airstrikes, saying only that they would begin over the next several days and it's possible to increase the fleet of fighter jets to eight.

Along with the fighter jets, Australia is committing 200 ground-force soldiers, including some special forces and 400 air force personnel, Yahoo News reported. These troops will not be fighting on the ground in Iraq.

Abbot said the special forces will also deploy to Iraq to "advise and assist Iraqi security forces" once the appropriate legal arrangements had been reached with the Iraqi government.

"If we could degrade them to the point where they no longer existed, that would be obviously the best possible result," he said. "It is very difficult to eliminate an idea."

Australia is part of about a dozen countries from Europe, the Middle East and including Canada that have pledged support to the U.S.-led mission to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria.