Canada is one of the most steadfast allies in the war against Daesh, and has contributed greatly to the Global Coalition’s successes. Canada has taken a role in the Coalition from the onset of operations, and between August 28th and September 26th, 2014, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft conducted 25 flights, delivering more than 1,600,000 pounds of military supplies to Iraq. Canadian combat operations against Daesh began with the September 2014 deployment of 69 Canadian Special Forces troops to Iraq. This force was augmented in early October after Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced a motion to send six McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet multirole fighters, along with support aircraft, to attack Daesh in Iraq for up to six months. On October 7th the House of Commons voted in favor of Harper’s motion, and by mid-to-late October Canadian forces had begun arriving in Kuwait. The aircraft became known as Air Task Force – Iraq.
RCAF CP-140 Aurora stands ready on the runway
On October 30th, 2014, two RCAF CF-18 Hornets flew a six-hour recon mission west of Baghdad. They were accompanied by one of the CP-140 Aurora aircraft, along with the CC-150 Polaris refueling tanker. Three days later, on November 2nd, Canadian CF-18s drew their first blood against Daesh west of Fallujah, striking four targets later identified as heavy engineering equipment and vehicles. The strikes continued into 2015, and on March 30th the Canadian Parliament voted to extend the mission area to include Syria as well as Iraq. On April 8th, RCAF operations in Syria began with an attack on a Daesh garrison near Raqqa. On October 20th, 2015, Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau announced his decision to withdraw Canadian aircraft from the strike missions in Iraq and Syria. The formal withdrawal was announced in late November, and by February 15, 2016, all Canadian fighter aircraft had halted combat operations.
Two RCAF CF-18 Hornets escort a CC-150 Polaris
All-told, the Canadian fighter aircraft launched 1,378 sorties, which resulted in 251 airstrikes (246 in Iraq, 5 in Syria). The aircraft dropped 606 munitions, destroying 267 Daesh fighting positions, 102 pieces of equipment/vehicles, and 30 IED factories/storage facilities. Unlike combat missions, support missions have continued to the present-day. As of March 12, 2016, the RCAF CC-150T Polaris tanker had conducted 399 sorties, delivering approximately 23,500,000 pounds of fuel to coalition aircraft; the CP-140 Auroras had conducted 428 reconnaissance missions. In addition to the aforementioned support aircraft, as of May 2016 a flight of four CH-146 Griffon helicopters of the 427th Special Operations Aviation Squadron (later replaced by the 430th Tactical Helicopter Squadron) have been deployed to Logistical Support Area Roberts in Erbil to provide tactical transport of Canadian troops, equipment, and supplies. They can also be used for medical evacuation, and are equipped with self-defense weapons.
Canadian special forces operator on patrol near Erbil, Iraq
Starting sometime in the autumn of 2015, Canadian special forces began showing up in parts of Northern Iraq. The first admitted action on the part of these soldiers took place on the night of December 16th-17th, with Daesh forces attacking Canadian ground units in the night before being pushed back by Canadian troops accompanying Peshmerga forces. Canada’s only casualty thus-far in the campaign was sustained on March 6th, 2016, when Sergeant Andrew Joseph Doiron was killed by Peshmerga forces in a tragic friendly fire incident. With the draw-down in aircraft in February 2016, Canadian special operations forces in Iraq saw their numbers increase three times to approximately 200 personnel. These personnel make up what is known as the Train, Advise, and Assist mission.
Canadian military personnel working with allied partners in a training exercise near Erbil, Iraq
On July 20th, Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan announced that Canada would be deploying a field hospital to support allied troops in the fight to retake Mosul. The hospital, with its 60 personnel, opened in November 2016 and is located in Erbil. This deployment is in line with Canadian commitments under Prime Minister Trudeau, who has pledged to dial back the military aspect of Canadian involvement for greater influence in the nation building/capacity building fields. Canada’s military, while nothing to scoff at, is simply not equipped to wage a sustained air war in the same way that the United States is. Canadian strengths are better utilized for stabilizing liberated zones/territories and helping establish the necessary government infrastructure to prevent the rise of another Daesh in the future.
Canada is set to remain a part of the Coalition for the foreseeable future. Whether Canadian forces will continue air strikes or whether the mission will continue in its current capacity is still to be seen. One thing is certain, however; Canadian forces have demonstrated their resolve, their commitment, and their battlefield prowess in the campaign against Daesh. It would be foolish to discount the benefits seen when coalitions are built (as opposed to unilateral action).
All images courtesy of the Canadian Ministry of Defence. For detailed information about Canadian air strikes during their operations in Iraq/Syria, please visit this link.
