What horrible news....
Canada’s bombing mission over by Feb. 22; training mission to triple
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's fighter jets will end their fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria within the next two weeks.
Canadian bombs will stop falling by Feb. 22, but the complement of military personnel in the region will climb to 830 — up from the current 650 — and will provide planning, targeting and intelligence expertise.
The size of Canada's "train, advise and assist" mission will also triple, including additional medical personnel and equipment including small arms, ammunition and optics to assist in training Iraqi security forces.
"While airstrike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities," Trudeau told a news conference.
"The Canadian Armed Forces will now be allocating more military resources to training Iraqi security forces. We will be supporting and empowering local forces to take their fight directly to ISIL so that, kilometre by kilometre, they can reclaim their homes, their land and their future."
The new Liberal mission will also include a team of strategic advisers to help Iraq's defence and interior ministries.
Trudeau is making the announcement alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
The time frame of Canada's contribution to the mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Operation Impact, is also being extended until the end of March 2017.
Trudeau said Monday the government would be spending more than $1.6 billion over the next three years on the mission as a whole, including on security, stabilization, humanitarian and development assistance in the region.
Canada has already committed $650 million in humanitarian aid for people affected by the Syrian civil war and $233 million for longer-term development.
Trudeau's announcement comes days before Sajjan is due to leave for Brussels for a meeting with his NATO counterparts on Feb. 10-11.
Canada’s bombing mission over by Feb. 22; training mission to triple | National Newswatch
Canada’s bombing mission over by Feb. 22; training mission to triple
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada's fighter jets will end their fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria within the next two weeks.
Canadian bombs will stop falling by Feb. 22, but the complement of military personnel in the region will climb to 830 — up from the current 650 — and will provide planning, targeting and intelligence expertise.
The size of Canada's "train, advise and assist" mission will also triple, including additional medical personnel and equipment including small arms, ammunition and optics to assist in training Iraqi security forces.
"While airstrike operations can be very useful to achieve short-term military and territorial gains, they do not on their own achieve long-term stability for local communities," Trudeau told a news conference.
"The Canadian Armed Forces will now be allocating more military resources to training Iraqi security forces. We will be supporting and empowering local forces to take their fight directly to ISIL so that, kilometre by kilometre, they can reclaim their homes, their land and their future."
The new Liberal mission will also include a team of strategic advisers to help Iraq's defence and interior ministries.
Trudeau is making the announcement alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
The time frame of Canada's contribution to the mission against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, known as Operation Impact, is also being extended until the end of March 2017.
Trudeau said Monday the government would be spending more than $1.6 billion over the next three years on the mission as a whole, including on security, stabilization, humanitarian and development assistance in the region.
Canada has already committed $650 million in humanitarian aid for people affected by the Syrian civil war and $233 million for longer-term development.
Trudeau's announcement comes days before Sajjan is due to leave for Brussels for a meeting with his NATO counterparts on Feb. 10-11.
Canada’s bombing mission over by Feb. 22; training mission to triple | National Newswatch
