Time to end the military mission

RE: Canadian aircraft at risk over Syria (June 20)

The fact that Canadian military aircraft could be targeted over Syria by Russia highlights three big problems. First, Canadian reconnaissance and refuelling aircraft overflying Syria are fundamentally in violation of international law because, unlike Russian aircraft, Canadian planes don’t have the Syrian government’s permission to operate there. Second, the U.S.-led coalition, including Canada, steadfastly refuses to co-operate with the Russian, Syrian, and Iranian forces in the air and on the ground in Syria who are spearheading the fight against ISIS and al-Qaida terrorists. Instead, U.S. coalition forces have twice attacked Syrian ground forces in the past month and downed a Syrian aircraft a few days ago. Third, Canadian military planners have not shared with us (civilians) what exactly the coalition’s response will be if indeed the Russians shoot down one of our planes. Do they plan to start World War III?

An additional problem for the Trudeau government is that it has sent troops to Iraq to help Kurdish forces in northern Iraq fight ISIS. The Iraqi Kurds have formed, with U.S. and Israeli help, a separatist state in Northern Iraq, virtually independent from the national government in Baghdad. The military mission to help the separatist Kurds thus violates Canada’s stated foreign policy on Iraq, which maintains that the territorial integrity of the Iraqi state be preserved. So, what is the exit strategy: an independent Kurdistan or a united Iraq — without ISIS?

The mandate for the military mission in Syria and Iraq expires on June 30. The Trudeau government should terminate it at once and bring the planes and troops home from Syria and Iraq. Doug Brown, Hamilton Coalition To Stop The War