Canada in Iraq: RCAF Strikes 3 ISIS Positions near Ramadi

Written by The Associated Press

Two Canadian fighter jets successfully struck three Islamic State fighting positions near the Iraqi city of Ramadi on Tuesday, according to the Department of Defence.

The CF-18 Hornets struck the ISIS positions with precision-guided munitions during two separate airstrikes, the department said in a statement.

The Canadian aircraft are part taking part in the U.S.-led coalition campaign against ISIS. The airstrikes are being conducted in support of Iraqi security forces. 

A Royal Canadian Air Force Air Weapon Systems Technician, deployed as part of Air Task Force – Iraq, prepares munitions for loading to a CF-188 Hornet, at the Camp Patrice Vincent flight line in Kuwait, during Operation IMPACT on August 1, 2015. Photo: CAF Combat Camera - OP IMPACT KW02-2015-0163-001

Tuesday's airstrikes are the second round involving Canadian jets since the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris killed at least 129 people and wounded at least 350 others. ISIS has claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in the French capital. The extremist group also claimed responsibility for twin suicide bombings in Beirut, which killed 43 people the day before.

After the terror attacks, many questioned whether Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would keep his election campaign promise to withdraw the jets before the end of the government’s previously set commitment of March 2016.

Trudeau reiterated his position on Monday, stating that Canada will focus its efforts on training local troops to fight ISIS, instead of continuing to participate in the air campaign. He added that Canada will increase the number of special trainers it has in Iraq, up from the current number of 69.

The prime minister's announcement came as French President Francois Hollande and U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to ramp up the assault against ISIS.

On Monday, Hollande spoke during a special session of Parliament, where he said the country was at war.

During the speech, he asked French lawmakers to vote on a bill extending the state of emergency for three months, and asked for changes to the constitution to help "destroy terrorism."

France has launched more airstrikes in the wake of the violence that rippled across Paris last Friday. Hollande said Monday that he would be meeting with Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin later this month to discuss how to combat ISIS.

Meanwhile, Obama acknowledged Monday that the attacks in Paris represented a "sickening setback," but said he won't commit to a large-scale presence of U.S. troops on the ground. He said sending in a large military presence would result in a permanent occupation in Syria and Iraq.

Currently, Canada has contributed six CF-18 Hornet fighter jets, two Aurora surveillance planes and approximately 600 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to the coalition.

Opinion: Canada Should Keep CF-18's in Iraq

If you have not already discovered my personal bias from reading this blog when it comes to the military, and the use of force - well this post should finalize where I stand.

This post is my opinion - and my opinion alone - and should not be attributed to any other news source, or author that I have re-blogged at any point in time.

I blogged back in September that support for the continued deployment Air Task Force Iraq was needed. This post came before the 2015 Election that saw the election of a Liberal Majority government in Canada. I have no qualms about the outcome of the election - but with it came the promise to withdraw Canada from the US-led Coalition bombings of ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

I fundamentally disagree with this stance. ISIS needs to be degraded and ultimately defeated. While I can admit the air campaign has been extremely slow to show progress, it is making progress.

Need evidence of this success? Take a look at late last week - before the Paris Attacks. Air support was key in helping Kurdish and Peshmerga forces in retaking Sinjar, and helping gain control of the highway linking Sinjar, Iraq and Ah Raqqah, Syria - the defacto capital of ISIS.

Sinjar had been in the control of ISIS for the past year, and it has now been liberated. Mosul, is also almost completely liberated thanks to air support - an area where Canada has been highly active.

While the rest of the world is using fierce tones denouncing ISIS, and standing behind France militarily - Canada has remained largely quiet. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave his condolences to the French people, and said Canada stands with France - but ignored the question about whether or not the attacks would change Canada's plans to withdraw from the air campaign. Giving Trudeau the benefit of the doubt (still within his first 100 days) - ISIS had not yet claimed responsibility when he gave his statement - but it has been close to 72 hours since the attacks, and ISIS has now claimed responsibility, and Trudeau has not spoken to the media since 8:30 PM EST Friday.

A member of his staff spoke without being named on Saturday and said the attacks have not changed the Liberal Party's plan to withdraw from the air campaign. Today, it was reported that Finance Minister Bill Morneau seconded this statement - the first official member of the Trudeau Cabinet to do so.  Personally, how or why the Finance Minister has any input on matters of National Security seems odd. Why was the statement not made by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, or National Defence?

Morneau did say that Cabinet is looking at alternatives to how Canada can contribute to the coalition. He said that Canada is committed to the coalition, just not in the air campaign. That is largely what the coalition is about - bombing ISIS because no one wants to deploy ground combat forces. Trudeau called for an increase in Canada's training mission, mainly to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, but that he would ensure CAF special forces members were further from the front lines.

While I am fully insuport of deploying more training forces - as Canada has a specialty in training foreign forces, we should keep our CF-18s in the fight. Yes, they have only contributed to less than 2% of airstrikes, but that is because they are less 2% of the fighter jets involved in the fight. Despite this, according to the Combined Joint task Force, Canada contributed to 4.9% of the 141 airstrikes since November 3rd.

According to DND as of 14 November 2015, Air Task Force-Iraq conducted 1747 sorties:

• CF-188 Hornet fighters conducted 1119 sorties;
• CC-150T Polaris aerial refueller conducted 305 sorties, delivering some 18,024,000 pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft; and
• CP-140 Aurora aircraft conducted 323 reconnaissance missions. 

That does not include the airstrike by two CF-18s yesterday near Haditha, Iraq. This was a very small contribution on Canada's part - all six CF-18s should have been out bombing yesterday. France deployed 10 fighters and dropped 20 bombs on ISIS, mainly around Ah Raqqah, Syria.  Canada has a few times bombed in Syria since the expansion of its mission. Yet the coalition is thankful we have expanded our role. The British Parliament still refuses to expand into Syria. The difference is in Britain the Paris Attacks have re-ignited the conversation on how to engage ISIS. 

I do not know if France will envoke Article 5 of the NATO treaty - but if they do, Canada might be required to do more than  just train Kurdish forces. Article 5 states that an attack on one member is an attack on all - and all are required to come to the defence of that member. France called the Paris attacks an "act of war." The two houses of the French Parliament are set to meet today for only the third time in the history of the French Republic. many expect the State of Emergency to be extended for 3 Months. We wait and see what else comes out of the meeting. 

No one will place blame on Prime Minister Trudeau for going back on his Election promise to end the air campaign in the wake of the Paris Attacks. Canada should keep our CF-18s in Iraq - at least until the end of the current mandate of March 2016, and reassess the situation at that point. 

If you feel the same way, push your MP to voice a concern, and keep Canada involved in the fight against ISIS. 

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the barbaric attacks in Paris on November, 13, 2015.  - Soliderité 

Canada in Iraq: CF-18's Strike ISIS after Paris Attack

In the wake of the Paris attacks, where 129 people have been confirmed killed, and more than 300 injured, the US-led Coalition carried out a number of airstrikes against ISIS, and I am proud to report Canadian CF-18s played a part in these strikes (although a relatively small part)

According to a release from DND, On 15 November, while taking part in coalition airstrikes in support of Iraqi security forces offensive operations, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS fighting position southeast of Haditha, Iraq using precision guided munitions.

An RCAF CF-18 takes off from its airbase in Kuwait, heading on a mission over Iraq. Photo: CAF Combat Camera 

Canada in Iraq: 3 Airstrikes by RCAF near Ramadi against ISIS

As the world reacts to the ISIS attacks in Paris; it is comforting to know that coalition attacks were continuing yesterday in Iraq. Despite Friday's news that priority number one for the new Minister of Defence is to withdraw Canadian CF-18s from the fight - the RCAF was active again yesterday, and attacked three separate ISIS positions.

On 13 November 2015, while taking part in coalition airstrikes in support of Iraqi security forces operations to clear ISIS from Ramadi, two CF-18 Hornets successfully struck an ISIS compound and two separate ISIS fighting positions in the vicinity of Ramadi using precision guided munitions.