Close X
Friday, November 29, 2024
ADVT 
National

Canadian Warplanes In Final Preparations To Extend Bombing Campaign Into Syria

Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 Apr, 2015 01:24 PM

    OTTAWA — The commander of Canada's combat operations in the Middle East says preparations to send air strikes into Syria are in the final stages and bombs could be falling on Islamic State targets within days.

    Brig.-Gen. Dan Constable, speaking in a conference call from Kuwait on Thursday, said Canada's allies are "excited" that the CF-18 jets will expand their operations beyond Iraq, where they have been conducting missions for six months.

    Since last September, the U.S., and at least three Persian Gulf countries, have also been hitting extremist targets in Syria, which is tangled in a brutal, four-year-long, civil war.

    Constable said Canadian pilots are being briefed on the new territory and reviewing potential threats in specific areas.

    "From our perspective, operations in Syria are going to be very, very close to those over Iraq in terms of how we mitigate threats, surface-to-air threats," he said. "As you can imagine, the safety of my aircrew is paramount for me and I'm very confident we have all of the procedures in place to deal with any threats that could be presented."

    Constable would not say whether pilots have been instructed to attack Syrian air defence batteries that lock on to them with radar, nor would he comment on the state of that country's early warning system.

    Defence Minister Jason Kenney has said strikes against extremists will take place in areas where there is no Syrian air-defence radar, but open-source technical reports show as many as five of the country's 31 early warning sites are located in the region. Whether they are still operational is unclear.

    Earlier this week, Parliament approved a motion that extended the combat mission for a year and expanded the campaign to include missions in Syria, where the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant holds sway over a vast swath of territory in the eastern and northern portions of the country.

    The CF-18s flew six bombing missions in Iraq over the last 10 days, but none of them involved supporting the major offensive in Tikrit, where Iranian-backed Shiite militias and the Iraqi army have fought a bloody, protracted battle.

    The U.S.-led coalition initially held back air support because of the involvement of Iran's elite Republican Guard, known as the Quds Force, in training the militias. It has since relented and conducted a series of strikes — beginning March 25 — that paved the way for government forces to advance.

    Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson insisted last week that Canada does not "align with the Iranians."

    Yet, Constable confirmed on Thursday there is no ban on Canadians supporting the Tikrit operation. The absence of CF-18s from the strike roster was a decision by the American commanders who allot targets.

    "There is no specific prohibition," he said. "We would strike in support of the government of Iraq, Iraqi security forces and it just so happens in the Tikrit area, there's enough coalition strike assets that we were assigned in other areas on that day."

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Murder Trial To Start Sept. 8 For Man Charged In 2012 Quebec Election Shooting

    Murder Trial To Start Sept. 8 For Man Charged In 2012 Quebec Election Shooting
    MONTREAL — The trial for the man charged in Quebec's 2012 election-night shooting has been scheduled to start on his 65th birthday.

    Murder Trial To Start Sept. 8 For Man Charged In 2012 Quebec Election Shooting

    Canadian Investment In Renewable Energy Up 8 Per Cent In 2014, Sixth In World

    Canadian Investment In Renewable Energy Up 8 Per Cent In 2014, Sixth In World
    OTTAWA — A United Nations-sponsored report says Canada remained among the top 10 countries in the world for investment in renewable energy last year.

    Canadian Investment In Renewable Energy Up 8 Per Cent In 2014, Sixth In World

    Lack Of CFIA Meat Inspectors Is Putting People At Risk: Agriculture Union

    Lack Of CFIA Meat Inspectors Is Putting People At Risk: Agriculture Union
    EDMONTON — The union representing Canada's meat inspectors says there is a critical shortage of inspectors that is putting the safety of consumers at risk.

    Lack Of CFIA Meat Inspectors Is Putting People At Risk: Agriculture Union

    B.C.'s Heiltsuk Nation In Talks With Government About Contentious Fishery

    B.C.'s Heiltsuk Nation In Talks With Government About Contentious Fishery
    BELLA BELLA, B.C. — B.C.'s Heiltsuk Nation says it is now in talks with federal officials about a disputed herring fishery in its central coast territory but has yet to see a resolution.

    B.C.'s Heiltsuk Nation In Talks With Government About Contentious Fishery

    Passengers Grateful To Be Alive Following Air Canada Plane Crash In Halifax

    Passengers Grateful To Be Alive Following Air Canada Plane Crash In Halifax
    HALIFAX — As a businessman and frequent flyer, Mike Magnus says he has experienced his share of turbulent takeoffs and rough landings. But even for him, the crash of Air Canada flight 624 was unlike anything he has experienced.

    Passengers Grateful To Be Alive Following Air Canada Plane Crash In Halifax

    Montreal Imam Denied Islamic Centre Licence Wants Apology From Mayor Denis Coderre

    MONTREAL — A Montreal imam who has been prohibited from opening an Islamic centre says he could sue Denis Coderre if the mayor doesn't apologize by Friday for calling him an agent of radicalization.

    Montreal Imam Denied Islamic Centre Licence Wants Apology From Mayor Denis Coderre