Special forces to oversee weapons deal with Kurds

Canada made arms promise in February 2016

Canadian special forces are now directly overseeing what is being called an urgent purchase of weapons and other lethal aid for Kurdish forces, but the military admits it still has no idea when the gear might be delivered.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in February 2016 that Canada would provide such equipment to Kurdish troops in northern Iraq. Because of the urgency of the purchase, the acquisition is being handled by Canadian special forces, who are directing the Canadian Commercial Corporation to the specific firms they are to buy the equipment from.

“There is no standard, pre-determined process or timeline for an equipment acquisition of this complexity,” the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Commercial Corporation, a Crown corporation, said in a statement. “Given the ongoing situation on the ground, the requirements are urgent and operational. For this reason, contracts have been awarded on a solesource basis.”

DND said the total cost of the equipment being purchased is $9.5 million.

That includes .50-calibre sniper rifles equipped with silencers, 60mm mortars and Carl Gustav antitank systems, and grenade launchers, pistols, carbines, thermal binoculars, cameras, scopes and medical supplies.

The equipment is being supplied by Canadian firms, according to DND and the Canadian Commercial Corporation.

DND said suppliers are in the process of preparing bids, which will be evaluated before contracts are issued. Although the timeline for the purchases isn’t known, DND said the aim is to deliver the items as quickly as possible.

It is unclear why it is taking so long to buy what industry officials say is a modest amount of equipment. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan has said the delay was due to bureaucratic roadblocks, not resistance from the Iraqi or Turkish governments. But the issue of arming the Kurds, being trained by Canadian special forces, is controversial in the region.

Kurdish leaders openly acknowledge their intent is to create an independent state. They argue it is their right to break away from Iraq, pointing to Quebec’s attempts to leave Canada as an example. The arms are needed both to fight against extremist Islamist forces and to defend an independent state, Kurdish leaders have said.

Some Kurdish officials have said Iraq is finished as a country. Masrour Barzani, the Chancellor of Kurdistan Region Security Council, told Reuters last year that the level of mistrust among various groups in Iraq — the Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites — is such that they should not remain “under one roof.”

“Federation hasn’t worked, so it has to be either confederation or full separation,” Barzani said. “If we have three confederated states, we will have three equal capitals, so one will not be above the other.”

Barzani’s father, Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani, announced a referendum on independence, scheduled for Sept. 25.

Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jon Vance has suggested it’s none of Canada’s concern what will happen in Iraq once the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant is defeated. Some Canadian diplomats, however, have warned Canada’s arming and training the Kurds will lead to more problems.

Tensions are already increasing and Kurdish forces have clashed with forces loyal to the central government in Baghdad.

The U.S. military provided Kurdish units with mortars, anti-tank weapons and armoured personnel carriers. The U.K. shipped them heavy machine guns and ammunition.