Canadian soldiers guiding and mentoring Kurdish forces in northern Iraq have been wearing the Kurdish flag on their uniforms in a sign of respect, but that tradition may soon end, 麻豆传媒 has learned.
Although it is tradition to wear the patch of a military partner, the Kurds do not have a nation state and are seeking independence from Iraq.
U.S. troops were recently ordered to stop wearing the Kurdish flag.
Maj.-Gen. Mike Rouleau, commander of the special forces in Iraq, told CTV Chief Anchor Lisa LaFlamme that Canada is also rethinking the custom.
鈥淲e'll re-examine that and we may well take them off too,鈥� Rouleau said.
鈥淲hether we have them on or off, it's not going to change anything about the level of commitment and closeness that we have with the people who we're sent there to support,鈥� he added.
- Watch more of the interview with Maj.-Gen. Rouleau on Saturday, June 25 on W5
Over the weekend, Canada鈥檚 special forces helped Kurdish soldiers launch a major offensive against ISIS, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insists Canada鈥檚 role did not amount to combat.
Canadian troops were fired on while assisting with the two-day operation called Operation Evergreen, during which more than 5,000 Kurdish Peshmerga took 120 square kilometres of territory near Mosul.
Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose accused the Liberals in daily question period of 鈥渕isleading Canadians about the nature of this mission,鈥� which she said is now 鈥渕ore dangerous鈥� and 鈥渋s combat.鈥�
While the Conservatives support 鈥渢aking the fight to ISIS,鈥� Ambrose said the 鈥淟iberals have put them into a more dangerous mission, tried to call it training and have withdrawn our CF-18 (fighter jets) that are a key pillar to degrade the enemy.鈥�
Ambrose said the Liberals pulled the CF-18s deployed under the previous Conservative government for 鈥減urely political reasons.鈥�
The prime minister responded by stating that 鈥渢he mission in Iraq is support, assist 鈥� it is focused on training.鈥�
鈥淚t is not a direct combat mission,鈥� Trudeau added. 鈥淚t is not a combat mission.鈥�
Rouleau said the mission was carried out by the Kurds alone as part of Canada鈥檚 鈥渁dvice and assist鈥� mission. While he admits it was a 鈥渄angerous鈥� operation, he said that no Canadians were injured and it was not combat.
鈥淲e are not conducting unilateral offensive or defensive operations,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are not conducting combat operations as Canadian Armed Forces.鈥�
Rouleau said the Canadian role involved 鈥渆stablish(ing) positions so we could provide over-watch鈥� and 鈥渕ak(ing) sure the Kurds are clearly communicating to their forces.鈥�
