Canada says it plans to send dozens of military advisors to Iraq to ‘help Iraqi troops’ against Islamic State (IS) terrorists.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Wales, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Friday that the decision was made following a request from U.S. President Barack Obama.
He said a contingent of between 50 to 100 Canadian forces will work closely with U.S. advisors in Iraq.
Harper claimed that the barbaric acts of IS in Iraq and Syria made Canada and its allies anxious and that Ottawa will look at further steps to respond to the threat of the terrorist group.
“If left unchecked, this lawless area will become a training ground for international terrorists and an even greater threat to Canada and its allies,” Harper said.
U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes also said that Washington “welcomes PM Harper’s announcement that Canada will send military advisers to Iraq as part of our effort to support Kurdish forces.”
Western intelligence services say more than 130 Canadians have joined IS in Iraq and Syria.
Islamic State controls large swathes of Syria’s northern territory. The group sent its members into neighboring Iraq in June and seized large parts of land there.
The terrorists have committed heinous crimes and threatened all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians and Izadi Kurds, during their advances in Iraq.
Senior Iraqi officials have blamed the governments of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in Iraq.
