Canadian Parliament vote to join anti-ISIS air strikes in Iraq


Written by : Mohamed Abdel Fattah
Oct 08, 2014

Canada's Parliament voted Tuesday to authorize airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq following a U.S. request, Associated Press reported

The motion backing a Canadian combat role passed 157 to 134, with members of the two main opposition parties voting against following two days of debate.

Six hundred air crew and other personnel, along with six fighter jets and several other military aircraft, will now head to the Middle East.

The approval means Canada is now the latest country to lend air support to U.S.-led efforts in the Middle East,Canada is among dozens of countries that have joined the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State militant group.

“The United States welcomes the Canadian government’s deployment of fighter and refueling aircraft, as well as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft to participate in the campaign to degrade and destroy ISIS in Iraq,” a White House spokesman said.

Canada has more than two dozen special forces advisers already in Iraq and has plans for up to 69 advisers as part of an effort to advise Kurdish forces against Islamic militants after a request from President Barack Obama.

“Canadians and Americans have fought alongside each other in several major conflicts over the past century, and we are grateful for Canada's further contribution against terrorism,” the spokesman added.

Both Canadians opposition New Democrats and Liberals voted against it, saying they fear the mission could become a quagmire. The military mission is supported by 64 percent of Canadians, according to a poll published by the daily Globe and Mail.

The United States and five Arab allies launched an aerial campaign against the Islamic State group in Syria on Sept. 23 with the aim to push back the militant group that has declared a self-styled caliphate, or Islamic state, ruled by its brutal interpretation of Islam in territory it has seized across much of Iraq and Syria.. The U.S. has been bombing Islamic State targets in neighboring Iraq since August.

Meanwhile ,Islamic State militants beheaded British aid worker Alan Henning in a video posted last week , IS had threatened to kill the Salford taxi driver in video footage last month showing the death of Briton David Haines. Henning became the fourth Western hostage beheaded in the last six weeks by the bloodthirsty ISIS forces.

Two weeks ago ,the United Kingdom launched its first airstrikes against ISIS since parliament approved military action Friday.

British fighter planes on had launched their first airstrikes against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) positions in Iraq on Tuesday, targeting a weapon position and armed truck.

Islamic State fighters are waging a two-front war in Iraq and Syria, seeking to expand the boundaries of their newly self-declared caliphate, or Islamic state, ruled by strict Islamic law.

Sources:

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/canadian-parliament-authorizes-air-strikes-iraq-26031771
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2014/10/08/Canada-votes-to-join-anti-ISIS-air-strikes-in-Iraq.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-parliament-authorizes-airstrikes-in-iraq/


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