The former prime minister has told an audience in Singapore that Iraqi and Syrian forces need to be backed by western troops in the fight against Islamic State.
"This will be a long, difficult and costly engagement, quite possibly the task of decades, not years," he said while giving the Fullerton Lecture on Wednesday evening.
"The alternative is more attacks on decent people going about their daily lives."
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Islam needs reform, Abbott says
He said an "effective military response" was required against Islamic State and more needed to be done than was currently occurring.
His comments, the latest in a series of public statements on the subject, follow a News Corp column in which Mr Abbott urged Australians to promote the West's culture and called on Muslims to do more to denounce terrorism and reclaim their faith.
Mr Abbott is the most high-profile Liberal to urge for a debate on Islam and terrorism, joining cabinet minister Josh Frydenberg and other MPs who've made similar calls.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has told AAP it's time for Mr Turnbull to pull Mr Abbott into line.
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Abbott gets leave pass to speak out
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