Iraqi ambassador Mouayed Saleh says his country wholeheartedly supports Australia's decision to extend air operations into Syria.
Mr Saleh said Iraqi troops were making good progress in pushing IS forces towards the border and needed some support from the Syrian side.
"This move by Australia is well appreciated and welcomed by Iraq because we have been asking and discussing this issue for some time now," he told Sky News on Friday.
The government announced on September 9 that Australian air task group operations over Iraq would extend into Syria. The first air strike on an IS target was conducted on September 14.
Mr Saleh said this was a welcome move as the conflict could not be restricted to Iraq.
"When you push them from Iraq, where will they go - they will go to Syria. If you push them from Syria they are going to go to Iraq. So we need to have that co-ordinated effort in attacking their forces wherever they are," he said.
Mr Saleh said Australia consulted Iraq before making the decision to attack IS targets in Syria.
Australian troops have been training and advising members of the Iraqi army but Mr Saleh said there were no circumstances in which Iraq would invite coalition troops to join the fight on the ground.
He said Iraq had enough forces to fight IS or anyone else.
"We have people on a waiting list to join but we cannot accommodate all of them," he said.
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