Canada stops military operations with Iraqis, Kurds

OTTAWA — Canadian soldiers in Iraq have been ordered to temporarily suspend all operations with Iraqi and Kurdish forces following a series of battles between the two groups.

The move comes amid accusations that Canada and its allies have failed the country over the past three years by ignoring its many political, religious and economic divisions while fighting the Islamic State terror group.

Canadian special forces have provided training, advice and assistance to both the Iraqi military and Kurdish peshmerga for the past three years as part of the fight against Islamic State militants.

But the one-time allies have been fighting each other for more than a week after the Kurds held an independence referendum and Baghdad responded by seizing control of the contested territory.

Military officials said Friday that the Canadian Forces would continue to support the U.S.-led coalition fighting against Islamic State through the provision of medical aid, intelligence and transportation.

Canada has about 50 medical personnel and a tactical helicopter detachment in northern Iraq, as well as several dozen intelligence experts, a surveillance aircraft, a transport plane and an air-to-air refueller in Kuwait.

But the approximately 200 Canadian special forces in Iraq have been told to sit tight and will not provide any training or assistance to Iraqi or Kurdish forces until relations between the two sides improve.

“Given the fluidity of the current situation, Canada’s Special Operations Task Force has temporarily suspended the provision of assistance to various elements of Iraqi security forces,” spokesman Col. Jay Janzen said.

“Once more clarity exists regarding the interrelationships of Iraqi security forces, and the key priorities and tasks going forward, the task force will resume activities.

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurds’ top diplomat in Washington, accused Canada and its allies this week of failing to address the many long-standing divisions that led to Islamic State’s birth in the first place.

Iraqi security forces gather last week outside the Kurdish-held city of Altun Kupri on the outskirts of Irbil, Iraq.