Canada PM Asks Parliament to Support Iraq Airstrikes
Canada's prime minister on Friday sought parliament's support for a plan -- which is expected to be approved -- to send fighter jets to help fight the Islamic State group in Iraq.
Lawmakers, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said, will be asked to vote on the mission -- which the government framed as a six-month "counter-terrorism operation" -- on Monday.
Parliament is deeply divided over joining the U.S.-led international coalition fighting ISIL, but Harper's Tory majority in the House is expected to greenlight the military deployment.
It would be Canada's first military expedition since Libya in 2011.
In his address to the House, Harper said an unspecified number of CF-18 fighter jets and refueling aircraft would be sent to the region to strike targets within Iraq's borders.
Local media, citing unnamed military sources, put the figure at four to six CF-18s.
Harper also asked to extend the deployment of up to 69 special forces soldiers advising security forces fighting the Islamic State group in the northern part of Iraq.
There are currently 26 Canadian special forces in Iraq, according to Defense Minister Rob Nicholson.
There will be "no ground combat mission," Harper added.
Source: Agence France Presse
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