Up to 250 troops to lead new mission in Iraq
Up to 250 to be part of new NATO mission
Up to 250 Canadian troops will be heading to a new mission in Baghdad where they will help direct a NATO training operation and provide protection to the alliance’s headquarters in the Iraqi capital.
Canada will assume command of the new NATO mission for its first year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday. Canadian special forces will also train specialized Iraqi units, a continuation of an effort that started with the assistance Canada provided to Kurdish troops in their fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The mission is a natural next step for Canada, the Liberal government said in a statement, as the focus in Iraq moves from fighting ISIL to improving the capability of domestic security forces.
While Canada’s commitment to the new training mission is not unexpected, this latest pledge of support to NATO and U.S. efforts in Iraq provides Trudeau with a counter to U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that Canada is a “free-rider” on defence.
The Canadian military personnel will deploy for their one-year mission starting in the fall. A Canadian major-general will serve as commander for the NATO effort, and Canada will also provide up to 125 personnel with armoured vehicles that will form the basis of a mobile force-protection group as well as provide on-site security at NATO’s Baghdad headquarters. The four Griffon helicopters Canada already has in Iraq will continue to provide support for the mission.
Another 20 Canadian personnel will be assigned as headquarters staff in Baghdad to support the operation. Approximately 50 others will work at Iraqi army schools and training centres in the vicinity of Baghdad, although the details have not been made public as to what kind of expertise they will provide. Canadian special forces officers have been examining different Iraqi units to determine which they could assist.
In November, the Canadian Forces sent personnel from Garrison Petawawa to help train Iraqi security forces in countering the threat of improvised explosive devices.
Defence officials said Wednesday that planning of the new mission is still underway. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan’s office could not provide additional details on Wednesday, but it is believed that the 250-personnel commitment will be drawn from the existing Canadian force already in the Middle East.
While security is tight in Baghdad, there are still attacks. The United Nations reported that 19 people were killed and 18 injured in various attacks in the city in June. In January, suicide bombers killed 38 people and injured more than 105 others.
At the 2014 NATO summit, then-prime minister Stephen Harper committed Canadian military forces to help a U.S.-led coalition involved in fighting ISIL. The Liberals continued with that mission when they came to power in 2015, expanding some portions of it but withdrawing Canadian fighter jets that had been involved in bombing enemy targets.
NATO nations have been providing training for Iraqi forces since 2016. In January 2017, the alliance established a small team of civilian and military personnel in Baghdad to coordinate training and capacity-building activities in support of Iraqi security forces and institutions. Mobile security-training teams also began to travel to Iraq to conduct training. Canadian special forces helped assist Kurdish troops on the front lines in the north of the country.
NATO officials visited Ottawa in March for discussions about Canada playing a greater role in the country, and in June 2017 Canada renewed its commitment to have troops in Iraq for two more years.
Canada had also promised to provide the Kurds with weapons and other equipment, but went back on the offer after clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces. Canada had planned to provide the Kurds with .50-calibre sniper rifles equipped with silencers, 60mm mortars and Carl Gustav antitank systems, as well as grenade launchers, pistols, carbines, thermal binoculars, cameras, scopes and medical supplies.
Paid for by Canadian taxpayers, the equipment is still sitting in a warehouse in Montreal. It is unclear what will become of it.