Stephen Harper confirms 26 Canadian soldiers now in Iraq
Canada has only 26 soldiers in Iraq serving as military advisers, rather than the 69 troops the government had said it was sending, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House of Commons on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, New Democrats said that Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told them in an email that only 26 special forces […]Laura Payton reports for CBC News:
Canada has only 26 soldiers in Iraq serving as military advisers, rather than the 69 troops the government had said it was sending, Prime Minister Stephen Harper told the House of Commons on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, New Democrats said that Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told them in an email that only 26 special forces troops were on the ground in northern Iraq to help fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, rather than the 69.
Harper's confirmation came in response to a query from NDP Leader Tom Mulcair, who posed another series of short, pointed questions about Canada's deployment during question period. "It is 26 [Canadian soldiers in Iraq] today," Harper said. "The government has authorized 69, as is well-known. That's obviously a maximum. Those numbers will fluctuate depending on the decisions of operational commanders."
