Canadian Surveillance Aircraft feeding ISIL bombing campaign with info

By: Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — Despite the withdrawal of Canada's fighter jets from Iraq and Syria last spring, a senior officer says Canadian military aircraft are providing vital intelligence to allies for air strikes and other operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The Liberal government announced in February that it was ending Canadian combat operations in Iraq by withdrawing six CF-18s that had been part of the U.S.-led bombing campaign against ISIL since October 2014.

But the Liberals left behind a Polaris air-to-air refueller and two Aurora surveillance aircraft. Those aircraft have continued to support the bombing campaign against ISIL, also known as Daesh, even as public attention has turned to the role of Canadian special forces operatives in northern Iraq.

National Defence says the Polaris has flown 544 missions and delivered more than 14,200 tonnes of fuel to allied aircraft over the last two years. The Auroras, meanwhile, have flown 575 reconnaissance missions over ISIL territory.

Brig.-Gen. Shane Brennan, commander of Canada's Joint Task Force-Iraq, says at the same time the number of Canadian intelligence officers assigned to the anti-ISIL effort has grown to 50. Their mission is to analyze the pictures taken by the Auroras so the coalition can plan air strikes and ground operations.

"What we do is gather the trends and the activities of what is happening with Daesh," Brennan said from the task force's headquarters in Kuwait. "That is used to support what you would call targeting, whether that's munitions-based or lethal targeting, or other types of targeting."

Brennan described the work of the Auroras and intelligence officers as a "critical contribution" to the fight against ISIL.

"In military operations, the planning and intelligence preparation is usually a key to success," he said. "In this way, we're actually feeding into the larger coalition process and making a significant difference."

U.S. and other coalition officials have credited the bombing campaign with helping to push ISIL back after it initially overran large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014. But there have also been concerns about civilian casualties, particularly following a series of U.S. strikes around the Syrian city of Manbij in July.

Brennan said the Auroras were not involved identifying targets in Manbij and have instead been flying over northern Iraq in support of the coming battle for the city of Mosul.

Preparations to liberate Mosul from ISIL have become the main focus for allied and Iraqi forces over the last few months, given that the city is the last major urban centre still controlled by the militant group in Iraq.

The approximately 2,000 Kurds trained by Canada over the last two years aren't expected to actually enter Mosul when the battle begins, but will instead secure territory to the north and east while the Iraqi military clears the city. At the same time, Brennan said Canada will be contributing in other ways.

An additional helicopter is being deployed into the area — bringing the total to four — to help transport troops and equipment. In addition, a field hospital is set to be deployed from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.

But Brennan also acknowledged the many political challenges facing Iraq besides ISIL. Those include questions about the country's long-term stability, particularly given Kurdish desires for independence, and the surprise sacking of Iraq's minister of defence on corruption charges last month.

"It is a difficult time for the government of Iraq," he said. "Obviously there's all kinds of challenges that occur within a diverse country like that as well."

The good news, Brennan said, is that there are discussions between central Iraqi officials and the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in the north of the country. In addition, he said, the interim defence minister previously served with the Iraqi security forces.

"So we're very confident that we're not going to see this as a setback in the ongoing planning for Mosul. So there's good stability from that particular front," he said. "But all these things are of concern, that is true."

- Follow @leeberthiaume on Twitter.

Lee Berthiaume, The Canadian Press

Canada in Iraq: No Timeline for Air Task Force Iraq

So while the Liberal Government promised to end Canada's participation in the Coalition bombings of ISIS in Iraq and Syria - no timeline has been set. 

Written by CTVNews 

According to Canada’s top soldier says a timeline has not yet been set for the promised withdrawal of Canadian troops from the bombing mission against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.

“We’re certainly working on it and all those details will come,” Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance told reporters at the Remembrance Day ceremony in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Vance said he has discussed troop withdrawal with the new Liberal government. He said he has provided “confidential” advice to the cabinet and is “not in a position to share” details of those discussions. 

Minister of Defence Harjit Sajjan and General Jonathan Vance at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, ON. Photo: Canadian Press Adrian Wyld

 
Ending Canada’s participation in the combat mission against ISIS was one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s election campaign promises.

Trudeau has said that Canada would still be engaged “in a responsible way,” likely in a training capacity to improve local troops’ ability to fight ISIS.

After he was elected, Trudeau said he told U.S. President Barack Obama in their first telephone conversation that he would be pulling Canadian troops from the combat mission.

Canada’s contribution to the fight against ISIS includes six CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, two Aurora surveillance planes and approximately 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

As of Nov. 8, the Canadian troops have conducted more than 1,700 sorties – or operational flights – over Iraq since the mission began more than a year ago.