OTTAWA — Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan toured the front lines in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Monday, meeting with Kurdish military commanders and Canadian special forces who repelled last week's major offensive west of Irbil.
He says the issue of the Trudeau government's plan to withdraw CF-18 fighter-bombers hasn't come up in conversations with either Iraqi officials in Baghdad, nor the Kurds.
Instead, Sajjan says they've discussed how Canada can refocus its military commitment with a beefed up training mission, and he's given some suggestions on contributions the country can make — ideas he hadn't previously considered.
MORE National ARTICLES
Lawsuit Launched Over Fire On Historic Street That Destroyed Downtown New Westminster Building
The Oct. 10, 2013 fire on Columbia Street destroyed several buildings and businesses including the E.L. Lewis building — which belonged to one family for more than a century.
Lawsuit Launched Over Fire On Historic Street That Destroyed Downtown New Westminster Building
Manitoba Child-Welfare System In Crisis And A 'National Disgrace:' Critic
Cora Morgan, who is the First Nations children's advocate, says kids are being taken from their families without proper assessments.
Manitoba Child-Welfare System In Crisis And A 'National Disgrace:' Critic
David Milgaard Says Presumption Of Innocence For Accused Has Vanished
A man who spent 23 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit says he is still troubled to see how the public reacts to news stories about crime.
David Milgaard Says Presumption Of Innocence For Accused Has Vanished
One Suspect Arrested, Canada-Wide Warrant Issued For Gilbert Theriault In Man's Kidnapping
The Mounties are still searching for 43-year-old Gilbert Theriault, who is from the Drummond area of New Brunswick.
One Suspect Arrested, Canada-Wide Warrant Issued For Gilbert Theriault In Man's Kidnapping
Canadian Pumpkin Producers Capitalizing On American Jack O' Lantern Shortage
Some growers in the U.S. have sought help from other states and Canada to make up the shortfall in fresh product caused by a massive disruption during the key June planting season.
Canadian Pumpkin Producers Capitalizing On American Jack O' Lantern Shortage
Parents Of Man Linked To Alleged Shooting Plot Want Answers In Son's Death
Police say James Lee Gamble, 19, killed himself in his family's home in the suburb of Timberlea on Feb. 13 as investigators were unravelling an alleged plot by Gamble and two other people to shoot and kill people at a Halifax mall the next day.