Canada’s fighter jets fly final anti-ISIS raids
In place of the F-18 jets, Ottawa said it would triple the number of Special Forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210
Canadian F-18 fighter jets have flown their last raids against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged, the authorities said on Wednesday.
The final air strikes were against an ISIS “fighting position in the vicinity of Fallujah”, Iraq, a Defense Ministry statement said. The planes flew their last sortie on Sunday, it added.
In place of the six F-18 fighter jets, Ottawa said it would triple the number of Special Forces training Kurdish militia in northern Iraq to about 210.
Canadian CC-150T Polaris refueling and CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft would continue to play roles in the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group, it said.
The withdrawal of Canada’s warplanes - a campaign promise made by Trudeau in the run-up to October legislative elections - is seen as a symbolic blow against unity in the U.S.-led coalition bombing ISIS.
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