Australian airstrikes could hit ISIL by tomorrow

Australia could begin airstrikes in Iraq as soon as tomorrow night as the nation woke up to news ISIL had claimed to behead another British hostage.

Six Super Hornets are in the Middle East ready to carry out strikes against the terrorist group, which are expected to start very soon after the government and the Labor opposition gave the green light to the attacks.

A licence could also be given to 200 Australian special forces troops to assist and train Iraqi forces on the ground.

The conflict could cost up to $400 million a year, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott said it would be a difficult and lengthy engagement.

Greens leader Christine Milne said Australia's entrance into the conflict risked making the country a bigger terrorist target, and would increase ISIL's ability to recruit local fighters.

ISIL this morning claimed to have beheaded another British hostage, Alan Henning.

The 47-year-old cab driver has been a captive of the terrorist group since he travelled to Syria last December as part of an aid convoy.

Officials in the US and UK are still working to confirm the video's authenticity, but British Prime Minister David Cameron appeared to confirm it, issuing a statement calling Henning's murder "barbaric".