Canadian defense chief in Erbil as Ottawa decides to send bomb disposal trainers

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish President Masoud Barzani received Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan in Erbil on Tuesday where the two discuss the war against the Islamic State (ISIS) and Canada’s contribution to the fight.

 

This is Sajjan’s second visit to the Kurdistan Region since his appointment as defense minister by Canada’s liberal government late last year.

 

Canada withdrew its fighter jets from the ISIS war and the government of Justin Trudeau has decided to increase the number of its special forces in Kurdistan from 69 to over 200.

 

Also last week the Canadian military decided to send special trainers to train Kurdish and Iraqi forces on bomb disposal techniques.

 

Canada was one of the first countries to rush to the aid of the Kurdistan Region in October 2014 by transporting arms and ammunition donated by European countries to the Kurdish Peshmerga.

 

Before his visit to Erbil, the Canadian defense minister Sajjan met with his Iraqi his counterpart, Khaled al-Obaidi and military commanders. The battle for Mosul was central to their discussions.  

 

Sajjan’s visit coincides with a similar visit to Baghdad by US defense minister Ashton Carter.