Op IMPACT: CAF in the Iraq & Syria crisis

[Eye In The Sky]

Article Link  Video of the hit on the arty piece at the link

Canada's Iraq commander says ISIS 'on defensive' as new airstrike video released

Col. Daniel Constable, the commander of Canada's joint task force fighting against ISIS in Iraq, says his aircraft are finding few targets to strike.

Speaking from the Canadian base in Kuwait, Constable said that the aircraft under his command have carried out only two airstrikes in 68 sorties flown.

Those sorties include all flights by Canadian Forces, including six CF-18 strike aircraft, two Aurora reconnaissance planes and a Polaris refuelling aircraft, since their arrival in Kuwait on Oct. 30.

Constable briefed the media by teleconference Thursday, following Tuesday's airstrike against an apparent artillery installation north of Baghdad belonging to fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS or ISIL.

He said the latest strike was on an artillery piece that was firing on Iraqi ground forces from a treeline near Bayji, Iraq.

Bayji is a city about 200 kilometres north of Baghdad that has seen fierce fighting between ISIS forces and the Iraqi army.

Moving target

Constable said the target, which may have been a howitzer, was destroyed by a laser-guided bomb, and there was some indication the ISIS gun crew may have also been killed, but that could not be confirmed.

ISIS fighters were the only ones operating in the area, he said.

He also did not say who called in the airstrike, although one of Canada's Auroras was in the area.

Cockpit video first posted on the Canadian Forces website shows a strike by a laser-guided bomb on a vehicle that appears to be towing a piece of wheeled artillery.

Capt. Melina Archambault of the Combined Joint Operations Centre told CBC News later Thursday that the gun had been hooked on to the vehicle between the time it was first detected by aerial surveillance and the time the CF-18 arrived.

On the video, the vehicle appears to sustain an almost direct hit while travelling on a dirt road between fields. Capt. Archambault could not specify the type of vehicle destroyed.

ISIS 'changing their tactics'

The slow tempo of airstrikes is a reflection of ISIS changing tactics since the current bombing campaign began, said Constable.

"ISIL are now changing their tactics, they're hiding their targets, and that's one of the reasons it's harder to find targets — they're camouflaged."

Forces sometimes hide armoured vehicles in buildings, or even bury them in sand, when the other side enjoys air superiority.

"They're moving away from tanks, into civilian-type vehicles," said Constable, adding that the change makes targeting more difficult, because "we want to be very deliberate. We are very confident we had no civilian casualties or collateral damage in either strike."

Constable added that the lack of airstrikes is not an indication that the airstrikes aren't working. Forcing the enemy to hide weapons it was previously using offensively constitutes progress, he said.

"Thanks to the airstrikes, Iraqi forces now have the confidence to move to offence. ISIL is now in a defensive posture. We are very confident that we are having an impact."

 

[Pwegman]

with all those targets hidings . sound like a soon to be ground deployment to me. Maybe not from CAF but  they're probably gonna have to dig them out of their holes .  :threat:

 

[McG]

Looks like we might take our fight into Syria soon.  Not sure the move will achieve any aims quicker, but there will be more targets for whack-a-mole.

Iraq targets limited for Canadian fighter jets
International law prevents Canada's military from hitting some targets in the fight against ISIS
CBC News
20 Nov 2014

The Canadian military insists that its bombing campaign in Iraq is being conducted according to international law, which means there are some targets that Canada's aircraft will not hit.

However, Navy Capt. Paul Forget says there's no way to know for certain if Canada's most recent two missions caused civilian casualties.

Previous military briefings on the Iraq mission have made it crystal clear that civilians were not harmed, but today's was different: Forget says the latest targets — a building and enemy positions — make it impossible to say for sure.

Forget, a spokesman for the country's operations command, wouldn't talk about what targets are off-limits for Canada's CF-18 fighters, which have conducted four strike missions in Iraq so far.

Coalition aircraft have been hitting a variety of military and economic targets, everything from tanks and trenches to enemy training camps and oil refineries.

So far, Canada has hit construction equipment being used to dig defensive positions, an artillery piece, a roadside bomb-making warehouse and a line of defensive enemy positions.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/iraq-targets-limited-for-canadian-fighter-jets-1.2844006

Syria could be next target of Canada's CF-18s
CBC News
22 Nov 2014

Behind closed doors, Canadian officials are working feverishly to prepare for Canadian jets to strike targets inside Syria, CBC News has learned.

Sources have told CBC that Canada is close to clearing away “the legal hurdles” that stand in the way of extending the combat mission from Iraq into Syria, should the government decide to expand the mission.

The legal case is critical, because, unlike Iraq, whose government invited Canada and its coalition partners to join the fight against ISIS, Syria under its leader Bashar al-Assad is considered an enemy. The U.S. has laws that allow it to engage in pre-emptive strikes in a sovereign nation, but Canada does not.

"We have, out of necessity, had these discussions with our allies," Justice Minister Peter MacKay told CBC Radio’s The House when asked if preparations are being made to hit ISIS targets in Syria.

"We're operating against an enemy that does not respect any borders,” he said. 

"We want to degrade and cripple their ability and with that objective, we at the Department of Justice are obviously working with other departments to examine certain scenarios,” said MacKay, who also pointed out that they are “not there yet.”

Sending more signals that Canada is looking to expand its mission, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson told a Halifax International Security Forum audience that “the door is not closed” to Canada attacking targets in Syria.

If the legal case is made and the government does decide to attack ISIS targets in Syria, Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Tom Lawson says the CF-18s are prepared.

“We would be ready for that,” Lawson told CBC Radio’s The House.

Lawson said that the military is already prepared for a much longer mission. “We are absolutely prepared to meet the government’s needs should they decide to commit Canadian troops and Canadian aircraft for a longer period,” he said.

The government has not revealed details about the cost of the Iraq mission, but Lawson said he has provided the figures.

“We provided an estimate to the government,” he said. “I’ll leave it to our elected officials to determine when that will be shared.”

But as Lawson and Nicholson defended the coalition strategy against ISIS, Republican U.S. Senator John McCain arrived at the Halifax International Security Forum with a blistering rebuttal, dismissing the current mission and Canada’s six-month assessment period as “delusional.”

“It's not realistic,” McCain told CBC Radio’s The House.

"It's delusional to say you're going to treat ISIS one way when they're in Iraq and another way when they're in Syria. That's foolish," he said.

When asked about the current strategy of coalition airstrikes supported by Iraqi boots on the ground, McCain, who will be the chair of the Senate armed services committee when Congress reconvenes in January, compared it to the American fiasco in Vietnam.

"There is no strategy that any military person I know believes will succeed in the present stated goal, which is to degrade and defeat ISIS,” McCain said.

McCain argues that a significant number of Western military soldiers will be needed in both Iraq and Syria to stabilize those countries.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/syria-could-be-next-target-of-canada-s-cf-18s-1.2845309

 

[McG]

So, Syria is not in the future for the CAF's mission ... at least for now.

No plans to expand Canada's ISIS campaign to Syria: John Baird
Adam Schreck, The Canadian Press
CTV News
06 Dec 2014 (Updated 08 Dec 2014)

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Canada has no plans to follow its neighbour the United States in expanding airstrikes against the Islamic State group into Syria, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Saturday during a visit to the Middle East.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Baird said Canada has a responsibility to contribute to the U.S.-led bombing campaign in part because ISIS has attracted Canadian fighters to its ranks. But he insisted that support would be confined to Iraq for now.

"At this time we're focusing on our current mission. ... We'll stick with Iraq," he said at a security conference in the Gulf island kingdom of Bahrain.

...

http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/no-plans-to-expand-canada-s-isis-campaign-to-syria-john-baird-1.2136019

Meanwhile, CF-188s continue to bring the pain to bad guys ...

CF-18s bomb Islamic State bunkers near Iraq's 2nd largest city
CTV News
12 Dec 2014

OTTAWA -- Canadian warplanes have conducted another attack on Islamic State forces.

Two CF-18s Hornets bombed an extremist fighting position about 250 kilometres southwest of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

National Defence reports the attack, which happened Wednesday, was carried out with laser-guide munitions and a Canadian C-140 Aurora surveillance plane provided intelligence and reconnaissance support.

Over 114 sorties have been carried out since the fighter jets deployed to Kuwait in support of the U.S.-led coalition.

Last week, Canadian jets supporting Iraqi security forces north-east of Mosul also dropped bombs on Islamic State bunkers and two heavy machine gun emplacements.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/cf-18s-bomb-islamic-state-bunkers-near-iraq-s-2nd-largest-city-1.2144696

... and the MND makes a pre-Christmas visit to the troops.  :christmas happy:

Canada's defence minister visits troops in Kuwait
CTV News
12 Dec 2014

Minister of Defence Rob Nicholson has visited Canadian troops in Kuwait fighting Islamic State fighters, to see first-hand how the mission is progressing.

CTV News Channel’s Mercedes Stephenson reports that the minister made the trip earlier this week after a visit to Ukraine and Poland. The visit was kept secret for security reasons.

Nicholson was able to tour various Canadian Air Force locations and meet with Canadian military leaders who are co-ordinating Operation IMPACT. The operation is Canada’s contribution to the international coalition assisting security forces in Iraq in their fight against IS.

The Canadian air task force is conducting airstrikes against IS fighters and their strongholds as they work to try to prevent the movement from spreading throughout the region.

Nicholson met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, as well as Deputy Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Mohammed Khaled Al-Khuder to discuss military relations.

Nicholson also served dinner to troops and took part in town hall discussions while in Kuwait.

Stephenson was able to speak by video phone with Nicholson while he was in Kuwait. He told her he got a good sense of how the mission is unfolding through the visit.

"They're feeling the pressure, there's no question about that," Nicholson told her.

"The mission was to stop and contain ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant). That is working to the extent that they have been able to contain them relatively well."

He added that Canadians have continued to contribute to airstrikes this week.

"And in each of these cases, they specifically target areas where ISIL has taken hold or is in operation. And, again, I'm very pleased with the results," he said.

Stephenson says the minister also discussed threats to Canadian military here at home in the wake of the attack on Parliament Hill in late October that killed Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, as well as the attack in Quebec that killed Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent.

Nicholson said the threat alert remains high in Canada and military officials are being careful.

Stephenson's full interview with Minister Nicholson will appear this evening on CTV's Power Play on CTV News Channel.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/canada-s-defence-minister-visits-troops-in-kuwait-1.2144964

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Happy holidays boys.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/22/canadian-jtf-e-snipers-fighting-islamic-state-source-says


Normand Lester, QMI Agency

First posted:  Monday, December 22, 2014 11:15 AM EST  | Updated:  Monday, December 22, 2014 12:00 PM EST 
MONTREAL — Canadian commandos are engaged in ground operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, QMI Agency has learned.

Members of the elite JTF2 (Joint Task Force 2) unit, armed with high-powered rifles, are involved in operations aimed at killing Islamist fighters far from the front lines, a source tells QMI.
The Canadians are officially in Iraq to accompany and train Kurdish and Iraqian snipers.
However, sources familiar with JTF2 operations tell QMI that the commandos are also shooting ISIS fighters.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in October that Canadian CF-18s would assist in airstrikes against ISIS, and had committed a small number of elite troops to help advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces, but Parliament didn't approve of Canadians engaging in the fight on the ground.
Department of National Defence spokesman Ashley Lemire confirms the Canadian Armed Forces is working in close collaboration with British special forces, but wouldn't provide further details.

A spokeswoman for Canada's special forces umbrella group wouldn't comment on whether JTF2 has fired on ISIS, citing "operational security reasons."
Lt. Julie McDonald would only confirm that special forces members are involved in a training mission.
"Members of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) are currently in Iraq and are participating in Operation IMPACT with the goal of teaching and advising Iraqi and Kurdish forces," McDonald told QMI in an e-mail.

She added the Canadians are offering "military training such as shooting, manoeuvres, communications and mission planning, as well as efficient use of weapons against (Islamic State)."
The e-mail goes on to say: "COMFOSCAN personnel are carrying out this training... in an appropriate location, far from what could be considered front-line positions, but in an area that allows them to remain sensitive to the current (ISIS) threat."

McDonald wouldn't say which special forces unit is in Iraq. JTF2 is one of five squads listed on CANSOFCOM's web page.
JTF2 "operators," as they prefer to be called, use a Macmillan TAC-50 rifle nicknamed "Big Mac."
It's the longest-range weapon available to snipers, with a range of 2.3 km.

The Big Mac has been standard issue for elite Canadian snipers since 2000.
QMI was unable to confirm if Canada provided TAC-50s to Iraqi and Kurdish snipers.

JTF2 previously waged a lengthy secret operation in Afghanistan. The Canadians were integrated into American and British special forces units.
Using their TAC-50s, two Canadian snipers set world records in March 2002 in Afghanistan's Shah-i-Kot valley in Afghanistan.

The Canadians killed enemy combatants at ranges of 2,310 and 2,426 metres.
The secret team of five JTF2 commandos killed more than 20 Taliban fighters at similar distances, earning Bronze Star Medals from the United States military.

In 2004, the JTF2 unit received the Presidential Unit Citation from then-president George W. Bush.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

The Govt. is now denying these reports......

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/22/canadian-jtf-e-snipers-fighting-islamic-state-source-says

 

[The Bread Guy]

The Govt. is now denying these reports......

http://www.torontosun.com/2014/12/22/canadian-jtf-e-snipers-fighting-islamic-state-source-says

And here's the official denial ....

Major-General Michael Hood, Director of the Strategic Joint Staff of the Canadian Armed Forces, issued the following statement:

    “Recent media reports have speculated that members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command (CANSOFCOM) have directly engaged in sniper activity against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This is not the case. CANSOFCOM’s role in Iraq is to provide training, military advice and assistance teams. Members in Iraq are working within a well-defined mission that was passed in the House of Commons. We have been clear that this mission does not involve ground troops in a combat role.

    “CANSOFCOM is helping to provide Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) with military training such as shooting, movement, communications, and mission planning, as well as how to effectively employ their various weapons systems against ISIL.

    “The support provided to the people of Iraq by the Canadian Armed Forces demonstrates Canada’s resolve to stand with our allies and make positive contributions to international security.”

 

[McG]

Rumour mill has the mission being extended for another 6 months. 

Opposition leaders need to speak up about extending Canada’s military role in Iraq 
Matthew Fisher, Post Media News
Edmonton Journal
27 Dec 2014

Should Canada continue to participate in the U.S.-led fight against Islamic State when the current mission ends this spring?

It is an important question that has received scant attention recently from Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and the New Democrats’ Tom Mulcair. Yet almost everyone in the military assumes that Stephen Harper’s government soon will announce that when the more than 600 Canadians now serving as trainers in Iraq or with the RCAF in neighbouring Kuwait rotate home they will be replaced by others.

In fact, over the past few days several soldiers have told me that they or some of their colleagues already have received notices telling them to be prepared to deploy to the Middle East by late April. Such notices are almost always followed by formal orders confirming their deployment. So, it is highly likely Ottawa will keep troops in the Middle East for the foreseeable future.

Largely because of hand-wringing by U.S. President Barack Obama, the coalition strategy for how to defeat Islamic State remains a muddle of half-measures. This is because of a universal reluctance by coalition partners to commit the commandos, infantry, armoured and artillery units required to defeat the radicals in western and northwestern Iraq.

Even absent a robust intervention on the ground, the coalition’s air campaign and the training of Iraqi soldiers and their Kurdish peshmerga allies has undoubtedly helped achieve some progress against Islamic State in cities such as Mosul and where its forces have tried to lay siege to cities such as Irbil, Kirkuk and Baghdad. To be truly effective both coalition missions must be extended. They would also be more effective if they were to become adjuncts to a land offensive.

It is the third time that Ottawa has been at war in a decade. It can be reasonably argued that Islamic State is the most vile enemy Canada has fought in many decades. But the conflict over Iraq has been relatively small news back home compared with the attention given to the Canadian Forces’ part in toppling Moammar Gadhafi in Libya or the war that Canada waged against al-Qaida and the Taliban in southern Afghanistan.

It is not as if little is happening. Several hundred thousand Iraqi Christians from Mosul and nearby areas are celebrating Christmas on the run because they refused to convert to Islam and therefore faced being decapitated as apostates. Perhaps most repellent of all have been recent revelations about Islamic State’s grotesque declarations regarding the place of captured women in their self-styled caliphate.

Islamic State has circulated videos showing its fighters joking about women they have taken as prizes of war. It published a chilling 27-point manifesto last month that provided a detailed religious justification for “masters” to “buy, sell, gift” and pass on captured female “slaves” to their male heirs as well as explaining jihadists’ right to have sex with female slaves including pre-pubescent girls.

Because they constantly champion human rights and women’s rights, it has been stunning to find Trudeau’s Liberals and Mulcair’s New Democrats reluctant to have Canada try to do something to defeat Islamic State. Sidestepping the reality that Canada has already done as much or more than any other western nation to assist those displaced by the fighting in Iraq and Syria, they have offered bromides about the need to help refugees. And, in the case of Trudeau, made ill-considered comments about the need to study the root causes of Islamic fundamentalism, as if the West, and by association, Canada, is somehow to blame for the choreographed decapitation of western journalists and aid workers and the machine-gunning deaths of scores of prisoners.

After a brief parliamentary debate in early October, the Liberals and New Democrats opposed the modest number of Canadian military trainers the Harper government dispatched to Iraq and the six-pack of CF-18 Hornets and the reconnaissance and support aircraft that are now bombing Islamic State from bases in Kuwait.

Whatever misgivings they may have about other aspects of how Harper governs, polls indicated that Canadians strongly support his government’s decision to send troops to bomb Islamic State and train Iraqi ground forces. Nevertheless, as the Liberal and New Democrat leaders enter an election year they have continued to insist it is in Canada’s best interests to offer Band-Aids and Pablum to ease suffering rather than a more robust response to Islamic State’s bestial provocations.

Canadians need to know if the recent murders of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo as well as Islamic State’s joyous slaughter of what it considers to be infidels and its depraved behaviour toward female captives have changed Trudeau and Mulcair’s minds about the Harper government’s military campaign, which is currently slated to end in April. And whether they now embrace the highly likely six-month extension of that mission, which will have Canadian troops still in Iraq and Kuwait until after the federal election.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/life/Fisher+Opposition+leaders+need+speak+about+extending+Canada+military+role+Iraq/10682525/story.html

 

[McG]

Very nice of our guys to drop a spectacular New Years fire works show.

Canadian military spends New Year's Eve bombing in Iraq
2 CF-18s strike ISIS fighting positions
THE CANADIAN PRESS
CBC News
01 Jan 2015

Two Canadian fighter jets spent New Year's Eve bombing militants' positions in Iraq as part of a international airstrike campaign.

The Defence Department says that on Dec. 31 the two CF-18s struck ISIS fighting positions using precision-guided munitions.

The planes were acting in support of Iraqi security forces' group operations west of Fallujah.
According to information posted by the American and Australian governments, the targets hit in that area were tactical units belonging to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group.

The group, which has declared a self-styled caliphate, holds about a third of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

The U.S. government says fighter planes and drones also conducted airstrikes in Syria on Dec. 31, destroying oil derricks, ISIS buildings and fighting positions.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/canadian-military-spends-new-year-s-eve-bombing-in-iraq-1.2888061

 

[dimsum]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/03/marc-garneau-liberals-isolationist-hardly/

So what is the highest and best use of Canadian strengths and talents? Yes, we can bomb as well as others, but we can also do other things better than others — like training Iraqi troops to defeat ISIS. We can also be a global leader in humanitarian aid, medical help and reconstruction — it’s all about winning the hearts and minds of local Iraqis and of ISIS’s victims. That’s where the real “heavy lifting” will have to be done. What could be accomplished if we took the considerable dollars we’re spending on bombing and used it for aid, medical support and training?

Our position is the opposite of isolationism. It’s active engagement designed intelligently to be the most effective it can be.

Yes, it's an election year and all things are secondary to it, but really?  Forget "isolationism", we will be the laughingstock of the coalition (and beyond) if we follow that line of thinking without the required security/combat mission to back it up when it invariably turns south. 

 

[McG]

It would seem there is going to be a update on the progress of the mission today:  http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-mission-update-expected-today-as-iraq-bombing-raids-continue-1.2889642

 

[McG]

More ground targets become available to our fighters as ISIS resumes offensive operations.

Alberta-based fighter pilots respond to ISIL attacks
Trevor Robb
Edmonton Sun
16 Jan 2014

After being knocked "back on their heels" just over a week ago, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) are fighting back -- and Alberta-based fighter pilots are responding.

Just a week after Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Brig.-Gen. Dan Constable, who commands Joint Task Force Iraq, told media that ISIL forces were on the defensive, the terror group has since re-launched attacks in an attempt to regain territory in the provinces of Anbar, Nineveh and Saladin -- reportedly killing at least 23 people, including several Kurdish Peshmerga soldiers.

On Thursday, Canadian Armed Forces Captain (Navy) Paul Forget said these attacks from ISIL were successfully defended by Iraq Security Forces (ISF).

"Thanks to the continued pressure implemented by the Iraq Security Forces, supported by the coalition airstrikes, this re-launch effort failed," said Forget, who updated media Thursday from Ottawa.

Since the last media update on Jan.8, CF-18 Hornet fighter jets -- deployed out of Cold Lake -- have undertaken six new airstrikes in support of Iraqi operations, all along the Euphrates River Valley and into northern city of Mosul.

On Jan. 11 and 12, Hornets used precision-guided strikes near the city of Baiji -- just south of Mosul -- targeting an enemy transport truck that was pulling an armoured personnel carrier, as well as an ISIL strong point that included staging and weapons storage facilities, said Forget, who took several questions regarding any uptick in the tempo of airstrikes being conducted.

However, he quickly dismissed any claims that CAF operations are increasing.

"The tempo is continuous. The number of sorties undertaken follows a regular rhythm," said Forget. "Obviously, ISIL undertook, itself, an offensive recently and when they take the offensive they expose themselves, and this allows us to undertake more strikes against them -- they expose themselves and we hit back.

"The tempo hasn't really changed. We haven't increased anything, really."

Forget added CAF operations against ISIL have not changed in the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, where Al Qaeda-linked gunmen from Yemen killed 12 people at a French satirical newspaper office on Jan. 8.

"These unfortunate events that took place in Paris last week had no effect whatsoever on operations that we're conducting currently in Iraq," said Forget. "I would even say that it made the objective even more clear -- since France is a member of the coalition we have a brotherhood of arms and we're maintaining our efforts against this common enemy."

Since joining the fight against ISIL in October, Canadian jets have flown a total of 335 sorties, including 214 sorties flown by CF-18 Hornets. Canada's CC-150T Polaris refuelling jet has flown 27 sorties and has delivered more than 3.117-million pounds of fuel to coalition aircrafts. The two CC-140 Aurora surveillance aircrafts have flown 64 sorties.

 

[Old Sweat]

According to this CP story published on the NationalNewswatch.com site, members of CANSOFCOM returned fire in Iraq. The story is reproduced under the Fair Dealing provision of the Copyright Act.

Canadian soldiers forced to defend themselves in firefight in Iraq: general

By The Canadian Press — CP — Jan 19 2015

OTTAWA - Canadian soldiers opened fire on enemy positions in Iraq over the last week in what a senior officer called an act of self-defence.

Brig.-Gen. Michael Rouleau, commander of special operations command, says the soldiers were visiting front-line positions with Iraqi forces when they came under mortar and machine-gun fire.

The Canadians, whose job is to train and advise the Iraqi military in their battle against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, were at the front to help plan an Iraqi operation.

Rouleau says the Canadians used sniper fire and "neutralized" the enemy positions without taking any casualties.

The general says that while Canadian soldiers are not participating in active combat in Iraq, they do have the right to fire back if fired upon.

He says most of their effort involves training Iraqi soldiers in battlefield skills ranging from medical assistance to mortar fire.

 

[krimynal]

Source : http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-fight-canadian-special-forces-came-under-fire-in-the-last-week-1.2917777

Canadian special forces came under ISIS fire sometime in the last week when they went to the front lines in Iraq following a planning session with senior Iraqi leaders, their commanding officer told reporters in Ottawa on Monday.

Brig.-Gen. Michael Rouleau, commander of the Canadian special operations forces command, said forces came under "immediate and effective mortar fire" and responded with sniper fire, "neutralizing the mortar and the machine-gun position."

He said the response was consistent with the inherent right of self-defence and suggested it was an incident typical of military missions, one that wouldn't have been unusual even in past Canadian peacekeeping missions.

Rouleau said Monday's briefing wasn't driven by a need to deliver that news and said his attendance had been planned well before the skirmish.

Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, commander of the Canadian joint operations command, told journalists at a briefing that coalition forces have stopped the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS.

ISIS has been forced into a defensive posture, Vance said.

"Now we are degrading them," he said of the three-month-old mission.

Stephen Harper confirms 26 Canadian soldiers now in Iraq
Strikes on ISIS in Iraq sparing civilians: Canadian commander
The joint operations command handles missions intended to defend Canada, assist in the defence of North America, and promote peace and security abroad.

 

[Old Sweat]

Another report posted here:

http://army.ca/forums/threads/116553/post-1346879/topicseen.html#new

 

[daftandbarmy]

Source : http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/isis-fight-canadian-special-forces-came-under-fire-in-the-last-week-1.2917777

Canadian special forces came under ISIS fire sometime in the last week when they went to the front lines in Iraq following a planning session with senior Iraqi leaders, their commanding officer told reporters in Ottawa on Monday.

Brig.-Gen. Michael Rouleau, commander of the Canadian special operations forces command, said forces came under "immediate and effective mortar fire" and responded with sniper fire, "neutralizing the mortar and the machine-gun position."

He said the response was consistent with the inherent right of self-defence and suggested it was an incident typical of military missions, one that wouldn't have been unusual even in past Canadian peacekeeping missions.

Rouleau said Monday's briefing wasn't driven by a need to deliver that news and said his attendance had been planned well before the skirmish.

Lt.-Gen. Jonathan Vance, commander of the Canadian joint operations command, told journalists at a briefing that coalition forces have stopped the advance of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS.

ISIS has been forced into a defensive posture, Vance said.

"Now we are degrading them," he said of the three-month-old mission.

Stephen Harper confirms 26 Canadian soldiers now in Iraq
Strikes on ISIS in Iraq sparing civilians: Canadian commander
The joint operations command handles missions intended to defend Canada, assist in the defence of North America, and promote peace and security abroad.

And that, boy and girls, is exactly how the US got drawn into the Vietnam War  ;D

 

[krimynal]

sorry didn't see the previous post !

and yeah , seems like this might be an opening to something quite bigger .... question is ... will the CF actually take the bait ....

 

[jollyjacktar]

Fair enough.  This incident will make the subject and mission all the more political now. 

 

[OldSolduer]

sorry didn't see the previous post !

and yeah , seems like this might be an opening to something quite bigger .... question is ... will the CF actually take the bait ....

The military does not decide where it will be employed. The GOC decides that.