Officials warned Liberals that aiding Kurds may contribute to instability in Iraq
Federal officials warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last year that Canada may be contributing to long-term instability in Iraq by training and equipping Kurdish forces whose ultimate goal is to create an independent state. The Kurds’ top diplomat in North America says such fears are “unfounded,” as any move toward independence from Iraq will be […]Lee Berthiaume writes for the Ottawa Citizen:
Federal officials warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau late last year that Canada may be contributing to long-term instability in Iraq by training and equipping Kurdish forces whose ultimate goal is to create an independent state. The Kurds’ top diplomat in North America says such fears are “unfounded,” as any move toward independence from Iraq will be peaceful. Yet, she also says the Kurds have no intention of giving up land they have “liberated” from ISIL, and which is claimed by Iraq’s central government in Baghdad.
Trudeau said this week that Canadian warplanes would stop bombing ISIL in Iraq and Syria by Feb. 22. Canada will instead concentrate on military training, diplomacy and aid. That includes tripling the number of troops training Kurdish forces in northern Iraq to 200, and giving the Kurds arms and other equipment.
