Canada mulls more troops for Iraq
Special forces are ready to deploy right away, military sources indicate
The deployment of more special forces advisers to Iraq is being considered as the Conservative government weighs its options to continue Canada’s contribution to the Iraq war.
Military officers say they fully expect the government to extend the Iraq mission. The expansion of the special forces training contribution makes the most sense, they added.
What is unclear at this point is the impact of the recent friendly fire death of a Canadian special forces soldier on the government’s plans.
Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson said last week that Canada would be in Iraq for the long term, even though the government hasn’t officially announced an extension to the mission yet.
“Our mandate is until April 7, but we’ve indicated that Canada is not a country that stands on the sidelines, and we’re looking at ways that we have contributed and what is available for the future,” Nicholson told journalists after visiting Canadian special forces in northern Iraq and Iraqi government officials in Baghdad.
“As I said, I indicated that we’re in this for the longer term to make sure that we do what we can to help.”
Defence Minister Jason Kenney said on the weekend the friendly fire incident that claimed the life of special forces Sgt. Andrew Doiron would not influence the government’s decision.
Three other Canadian special forces members were injured in the attack Friday night by Kurdish peshmerga troops in northern Iraq.
Special forces personnel are prepared to quickly respond to the mission extension, military sources say. They have already established the necessary logistics and medical support in northern Iraq that they need.
A special forces group mostly made up of members of the Ottawa-based counter-terrorism unit Joint Task Force 2 finished its tour of Iraq earlier this year and were recently replaced by members of the Petawawa-based Canadian Special Operations Regiment. Other military personnel are undergoing training in anticipation of the government’s decision to extend the mission.
Steve Day, a retired colonel who commanded Joint Task Force 2, said Canada’s special forces has the capability to expand its presence in Iraq if required.
But Day said more needs to be done than just advising and training Kurdish forces. He said Canadian and other western special forces need to go on the offensive to strike at the leaders of the extremist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
“I would like to see the Canadian Forces, the western special forces augment the number of guys on the ground and get on the offensive by manhunting,” he said. “I mean going after the leadership, the financiers, the logistic nodes, and taking apart the network.”
In addition, the Canadian government needs to contribute to building Iraqi government institutions for long-term success.
The Conservatives could also continue with the status quo of keeping the special forces contribution at the same size as well as continuing with the RCAF contribution.
Canada has 600 military personnel involved in the Iraq mission. Most of those are in Kuwait, supporting the deployment of CF-18 fighter jets and other RCAF aircraft.
There are 69 special forces personnel in northern Iraq, advising and assisting Kurdish troops.
Another option would be to expand the air campaign against ISIL. That terrorist organization has seized parts of Iraq and Syria.
Royal Canadian Navy Capt. Paul Forget of Canadian Joint Operations Command has indicated that there would be no major hurdles for Canadian Forces to expand their operations into Syria if that is what the Conservative government wants.
Forget stressed that such a move would be a decision made by the government.
The Canadian government’s examination of its options comes as U.S. officials once again highlighted that a long-term military commitment to Iraq is needed if ISIL is to be defeated.
“I wouldn’t assure anyone that this will be over in three years or that the campaign will be completed in three years,” U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter told American lawmakers March 4.
U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has also noted there is support for putting U.S. special forces on the ground to help Syrian rebels fighting ISIL, if American military commanders recommend that option.
Australia has decided to bump up its commitment and send more troops to Iraq to help train security forces there. Three hundred Australian soldiers will head to the Taji military base north of Baghdad as part of a joint Australia-New Zealand training mission.
Australia already has 170 special forces personnel in Baghdad advising and assisting Iraqi troops. Another 400 Australian air force personnel are supporting Australian airstrikes against ISIL targets. They are located at the al-Minhad Air Base outside Dubai.
Nicholson said Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his cabinet will make a decision on the Iraq mission within the next two weeks.
The Conservative government says Canada’s war in Iraq has cost at least $122 million so far, not including salaries and other fixed costs. (That figure also leaves out two months of air deliveries and the first month that Canadian special forces advisers spent in Iraq).