Close X
Monday, November 11, 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

    Study Uncovers Why Students At Canadian Private High Schools Enjoy Academic Edge

    Study Uncovers Why Students At Canadian Private High Schools Enjoy Academic Edge
    TORONTO — Students attending private high schools do better academically than their public schools counterparts because of socio-economic factors and peers who tend to have university-educated parents, according to a Statistics Canada study released Tuesday.

    Study Uncovers Why Students At Canadian Private High Schools Enjoy Academic Edge

    Conservatives Studying Anti-terrorism Bill Reject Opposition Changes

    Conservatives Studying Anti-terrorism Bill Reject Opposition Changes
    OTTAWA — The Conservatives have used their majority on the House of Commons public safety committee to vote down the first wave of opposition amendments to the federal anti-terrorism bill.

    Conservatives Studying Anti-terrorism Bill Reject Opposition Changes

    Ontario's Deficit Now At $10.9 Billion, Lower Than Projected $12.5 Billion: Sousa

    The revised deficit figure, announced Tuesday by Finance Minister Charles Sousa, is lower than the previously projected $12.5 billion, but critics and opposition leaders remain skeptical about the Liberal government's ability to balance the books in two years, as promised.

    Ontario's Deficit Now At $10.9 Billion, Lower Than Projected $12.5 Billion: Sousa

    Medical Community Skeptical About Ontario's Move To Regulate Homeopaths

    Medical Community Skeptical About Ontario's Move To Regulate Homeopaths
    TORONTO — Ontario's move to regulate the field of homeopathy in a way similar to how it governs doctors and nurses, making it the first province to do so, is being greeted with skepticism from some in the medical and scientific community.

    Medical Community Skeptical About Ontario's Move To Regulate Homeopaths

    Wallin Expensed Private, Business Trips To Toronto And Guelph, RCMP Alleges

    Wallin Expensed Private, Business Trips To Toronto And Guelph, RCMP Alleges
    OTTAWA — The RCMP has filed new documents in court alleging Pamela Wallin submitted 21 travel expense claims to the Senate for reimbursement for private and business trips to Toronto and Guelph.

    Wallin Expensed Private, Business Trips To Toronto And Guelph, RCMP Alleges

    Highlights Of Information Watchdog's Report On Access To Information Reform

    Highlights Of Information Watchdog's Report On Access To Information Reform
    OTTAWA — Highlights of information commissioner Suzanne Legault's special report to Parliament on Access to Information reform:

    Highlights Of Information Watchdog's Report On Access To Information Reform