Canadian aircraft at risk over Syria

After Americans shoot down Syrian fighter jet, Russians threaten to target allied aircraft

OTTAWA — There are fears Canadian military aircraft operating over Syria could be caught in the middle of a new and potentially explosive dispute between the U.S. and Russia.

Moscow warned Monday that it will track allied aircraft operating west of the Euphrates River in Syria as potential targets after the U.S. shot down a Syrian government warplane.

American officials say the Syrian jet dropped bombs near U.S.-backed forces fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant — a claim the Syrian government and Russia both dispute.

The Canadian military has been flying surveillance aircraft and a refuelling plane over Syria as part of its contribution to the U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition.

But while National Defence says it is monitoring the situation, it otherwise wouldn’t comment Monday on where the Canadian planes have been flying in Syria and whether they are in any increased risk of danger.

“For operational security considerations, the Canadian Armed Forces will not disclose the frequency of the flights or the exact locations nor the details of our force protection measures and risk assessment process,” spokesperson Daniel Le Bouthillier said in an email.

The previous Conservative government first deployed Aurora surveillance planes, a Polaris air-to-air refueler and six CF-18 fighter jets to participate in the Americanled air campaign against ISIL in October 2014.

While the planes were initially restricted to operations over Iraq, the Tories decided in March 2015 to expand the mission to include Syria as well.

The newly elected Liberal government withdrew the CF-18s the following year, but kept the other planes in the region to continue supporting fighter jets from the U.S. and other allied countries.

A senior military officer told The Canadian Press during a visit to the region in February that the Auroras and Polaris had flown between 20 and 30 missions over Syria in the previous few months.

While former Canadian diplomat Ferry de Kerckhove said it was unlikely Russia would risk shooting down a coalition aircraft, Canadian or otherwise, he worried about the increasing rhetoric and tension in Syria. “This is very dangerous,” he said. “And if it rises, they could certainly be caught in the middle.

“If we’re talking about an escalation in the tension, there could be some concern for the Canadians, absolutely.”