New Iraq role not combat, general says
• Canada’s top soldier rode to the Liberal government’s defence on Friday, saying “I’m the expert on what is combat,” and telling those who are uncomfortable with his definition: “Too bad.”
While the Liberals promised during the election to end Canada’s combat mission in Iraq and Syria, they have struggled to explain why the new role shouldn’t be considered combat given that Canadian troops are with Kurdish forces on the front lines, calling in airstrikes, and have helped fight off at least one major ISIL attack.
Speaking at a major def ence conference Friday, Gen. Jonathan Vance told military officers, industry insiders and foreign officials that the type of mission Canada is undertaking in Iraq is relatively new, which has led to confusion around how to “pigeonhole it.”
Vance acknowledged that Canadian troops are operating in a theatre of war, and that Canada is “a hostile party to an armed conflict.” He also said there will be times when Canadian troops are required to fight ISIL to defend themselves and their Kurdish allies.
But he said Canadian troops were also forced to defend themselves, and in some cases had died, in previous peacekeeping missions. “We don’t in that context fall in the trap of trying to somehow describe it as something other than a peace support operation,” he said.
The bottom line, Vance concluded, is that a combat mission is defined by Canadian troops actively attacking and fighting the enemy. “That would be classically described as a combat mission,” he said. “In this case, some people may be uncomfortable with the lexicon, but that’s too bad.”
A war of words has been fought over whether Canadian soldiers are in combat in Iraq since the beginning of the mission. The Liberals themselves accused the Conservative government of lying about it being noncombat after revelations last year that the Canadians had called in airstrikes and shot at the enemy.
The f act t he Liberals have followed the Conservatives in also using the term “non- combat,” even though Canadian soldiers are doing exactly the same thing as before, has emerged as a political headache for the government given that it promised to end combat operations.
Vance was asked after his speech whether he was redefining combat to fit the government’s narrative. “I reject it,” he said. “I’m the expert on what is combat and what is not.”
The general also rebuffed suggestions, voiced by the Conservatives, t hat t he Liberal government’s decision to withdraw Canadian fighter jets from Iraq and Syria will put Canadian soldiers’ lives in danger. Canadian CF- 18s were instrumental in helping Canadian and Kurdish forces fight off an ISIL attack in mid- December.
Vance said French fighter jets were also involved in the battle and that aircraft from other coalition nations will continue to provide air support to Canadian troops on the ground even after Canada’s warplanes are gone.