Re: Iraq Mission

by **Spider** Mon 10 May 2021, 9:54 am

Canadian soldiers complained Iraqi troops they were training were war criminals

David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: May 10, 2021

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/canadian-soldiers-complained-iraqi-troops-they-were-training-were-war-criminals

by **Accer** Fri 11 Jun 2021, 12:32 pm

Feds face calls for inquiry into military’s handling of Iraq war crime reports

Posted June 11, 2021

https://globalnews.ca/news/7941150/federal-government-military-handling-iraq-war-crimes/

by **Accer** Fri 01 Apr 2022, 3:52 pm

Canada extends military mission in Iraq for another year

By Lee Berthiaume . The Canadian Press
Posted March 31, 2022

Canada is extending its military mission in Iraq and the Middle East for another year.

Defence Minister Anita Anand announced the 12-month extension on Thursday evening, only hours before the current mandate was set to expire

It comes even as Canada has steadily reduced its military footprint in the region as the focus in Iraq, in particular, has shifted from defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant to countering Iran’s growing influence.

The Canadian Armed Forces, which first deployed troops to Iraq in October 2014 as ISIL threatened to take over the country and neighbouring Syria, previously had a high of more than 800 soldiers in the region.

The Canadian mission at different times included fighter jets, transport and surveillance aircraft, helicopters as well as military trainers and special forces troops working alongside Kurdish and Iraqi forces as they fought ISIL.

But the mission has since shrunk in size and prominence as concerns about ISIL have been replaced with fears about Iran‘s growing influence in Iraq and the region, and as other crises and threats such as Russia, China and the COVID-19 pandemic have emerged.

Canada in February had only about 300 Armed Forces members assigned to what is known as Operation Impact, with about 250 intelligence, logistics and command staff in Kuwait, 50 trainers in Jordan and Lebanon, and only a handful of troops in Iraq.

“The Canadian Armed Forces have been working with partners and allies since 2014 to improve Iraqi security forces’ capabilities,” Anand said in a statement.

“The Canadian Armed Forces have also been providing training and capacity-building assistance to the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Lebanese Armed Forces.”

The decision to extend Canada’s military mission in Iraq comes as the Armed Forces is being asked to contribute additional troops and equipment in eastern Europe in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and as it struggles with personnel shortfall.

It also coincides with a political deadlock in Baghdad over repeated failures to elect a new president and escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, with the latter having launched ballistic missile attacks in the region in recent weeks.

Bessma Momani, one of Canada’s top Middle East experts at the University of Waterloo, said the decision to extend the mission comes at a critical time for Iraq as the country teeters toward collapse amid a proxy war between the United States and Iran.

While Canada’s contribution is largely symbolic at this point, Momani said, “this is not a time to pull out. It just sends all the wrong messages. Iraq’s just way too fragile to pull out at the moment.”

Canada’s mission has largely slipped from public view, but it has seen its share of controversies over the years. Those include questions about whether Canadian troops were in combat, and concerns about the screening of Iraq troops trained by Canada.

The Liberals were also criticized for withdrawing Canadian fighter jets after taking power in 2015, while Canada’s partnership with Iraq’s Kurdish minority put this country into an awkward position when faced with Kurdish calls for independence from Iraq.

One Canadian soldier was killed while serving on Operation Impact. Sgt. Andrew Doiron died after Kurdish forces mistakenly shot the Canadian special forces member. Three other Canadians were injured in the “friendly fire” incident.

Global News

by Covert Fri 20 Jan 2023, 7:19 am

Canada’s military pulling back in Middle East as European, domestic needs rise

By Lee Berthiaume . The Canadian Press
Posted January 19, 2023

The Canadian Armed Forces is shrinking its footprint in Iraq and the Middle East to free up troops for deployment to Europe and elsewhere, as a personnel shortage and growing demands at home and abroad test the military’s limits.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Vice-Admiral Bob Auchterlonie, head of the Canadian Joint Operations Command that runs all Canadian military operations at home and abroad, said the Armed Forces will continue to have a presence in the Middle East.

That includes maintaining a logistical hub in Kuwait and small training missions in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

Auchterlonie said the Middle East is one of the few areas where he has flexibility as he juggles Canada’s numerous other commitments with the military’s limited resources — especially people.

“Given the importance of the conflict in Ukraine, obviously we’re going continue to support that,” he said. “The commitments to NATO — obviously, we’re going to continue to support that. And with the increase in the Indo-Pacific, there’s not a lot of room left to reduce.”

Thousands of Canadian troops have deployed to the Middle East since 2014, when Canada joined its allies in declaring war on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which at the time had captured large swaths of Iraq and Syria.

Known as Operation Impact, Canada’s contribution included fighter jets, transport and surveillance aircraft, special forces soldiers and helicopters, a medical hospital and hundreds of military trainers working with Iraqi, Jordanian and Lebanese soldiers.

At the operation’s height, about 800 Canadian troops were deployed to the region, making it Canada’s largest mission since Afghanistan.

The Canadian Armed Forces started shrinking its presence following ISIL’s defeat in Iraq in 2017.

The decline was further hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic, growing tensions with Iran and political turmoil in Baghdad before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put European security front and centre, sparking new demands for the Canadian military.

Auchterlonie revealed that the Liberal government has set a cap of 450 Armed Forces members for Op Impact, though only about 250 are currently involved in the mission. Even that number is set to decline further to meet other demands.

“We’re looking at scoping that down to allow … specifically the Army more folks to move elsewhere,” he said. “So we’ve reduced that mission in terms of numbers, and I’ve reduced the skill sets and requirements of people deployed to free up other people in the Army.”

In an interview in December, Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Joe Paul said his force was being squeezed by more demands at home and abroad, especially in Europe, even as the number of soldiers available for such missions is shrinking.

Paul told The Canadian Press that the Army shrunk by 1,200 soldiers last year as departures outpaced recruiting ?_ and that it could lose hundreds more unless the situation changes. The whole military is short about 10,000 members, meaning one in 10 positions is vacant.

This shortage comes as Canada has doubled the number of military trainers working with Ukrainian counterparts from 200 to 400 following Russia’s invasion. The Army is also poised to reinforce a Canadian-led NATO battle group in Latvia, which will require hundreds more troops.

All of that coincides with the military being asked to respond more and more natural disasters at home.

To illustrate the impact on Canadian troops, Auchterlonie pointed to one unit in August 2021 that was helping with flood relief efforts in the Yukon when it was sent to Kuwait to help with the Afghanistan evacuation _ and then got deployed to Ukraine to train local forces.

There are also the military’s challenges in terms of equipment, due to its limited number of old ships and aircraft and gaps such as a lack of anti-air defence capability.

And the government recently announced a plan to increase the Armed Forces’ presence in the Indo-Pacific region.

“So demand is up … and trying to meet that is really challenging,” Auchterlonie said. “Therefore, in missions that I have scope to reduce, I have.”

Global News

by **Slider** Fri 24 Nov 2023, 11:15 am

Former soldiers say they fear Iraqi trainees committed war crimes with allies' weapons

Former soldiers say they fear Iraqi trainees committed war crimes with allies' weapons

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Nov 24, 2023

CBC News

by Xrayxservice Thu 04 Jan 2024, 11:17 am

Military whistleblower calls on Conservatives to demand probe of torture video reports

Former soldier reported Iraqi security recruits showed trainers cellphone videos of torture, rape

Murray Brewster · CBC News · Posted: Jan 04, 2024

CBC News

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