Canadian special forces have been in gun fights with ISIL, general says
OTTAWA — A shift in the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has resulted in Canadian soldiers spending more time on the front lines and engaging in more firefights with the enemy, a senior officer revealed Thursday.
Some of those battles included defending civilians as well as Kurdish allies, said Brig.-Gen. Peter Dawe, deputy commander of Canada’s special forces.
No Canadians were killed or injured in the “sporadic” skirmishes, he said, adding: “In all cases, self-defence is what is being exercised.”
Dawe’s comments came during a briefing at National Defence Headquarters on Canada’s mission against ISIL, which enters its third year on Friday. The briefing coincided with Iraqi forces preparing to launch a major operation to take back the city of Mosul, the last urban centre held by ISIL in Iraq.