ERBIL, Iraq -- Abandoned villages, a shattered bridge, hidden bombs and a steady stream of fighters headed to the frontline.
That鈥檚 the scene that greeted Canada鈥檚 top general as he paid a dramatic visit to northern Iraq Thursday to the area where Canadian special operations forces soldiers are aiding Peshmerga fighters.
Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of defence staff, said the Islamic State is doomed to defeat and predicted that Canadian forces and their Peshmerga allies will play a key role in the coming battle for Mosul, the Iraqi city that remains a key extremist stronghold.
鈥淲e are on key terrain with a key partner as what is being billed as the final coup de grace of ISIL in Iraq occurs on Mosul,鈥� Vance said.
麻豆传媒 and The Toronto Star were on hand as Vance came to take stock of Canada鈥檚 military mission, to 鈥済et eyes on as we contemplate next steps in the campaign.鈥�
For more than a year, a small group of Canadian special operations forces soldiers have been working here, teaching Peshmerga troops skills that range from the basics -- map reading and shooting -- to calling in airstrikes.
That mission will get bigger in the coming months with the Liberal decision to end airstrikes and instead triple the number of troops on the ground to act as advisors.
The United States has also committed Apache attack helicopters, more cash and more troops as Western nations lay the groundwork for a final push to defeat ISIS, which has wreaked havoc across Iraq and Syria since 2014.
With the extra personnel, Canada will stretch its reach in this area west of Erbil, assisting Peshmerga along a line more than 100 kilometres long.
All of it is key terrain, some within sight of Mosul.
Vance predicts the battle for the city will unfold over the coming year, a battle delayed as Iraqi forces first seek to oust Islamic extremists from other sites across the country.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no question that Iraq and the coalition, they all want to get on with it but there鈥檚 other things that have to get done,鈥� said Vance, who was making his first visit to Iraq since taking over as chief of defence staff in 2015.
鈥淔or a battle that must be started correctly and finished correctly, you don鈥檛 want to necessarily rush it,鈥� Vance said.
But when that battle comes, Iraqi forces will squeeze Mosul from the south and it will be up to the Peshmerga soldiers, mentored by Canadian special operations forces troops, to protect the northern flank -- and block the ISIS鈥檚 path of escape.
鈥淎t some point, the coalition and Iraqi security forces will deal with Mosul and our forces will be on vital ground, key to the containment of ISIL,鈥� Vance said.
Vance stressed that the Peshmerga -- not Canadians -- will be on the frontline to hold Islamic State fighters in place. 鈥淲e are responsible to train and support them. They鈥檙e responsible to hold,鈥� Vance said.
Canadian forces and their Peshmerga allies are already eroding the Islamic State鈥檚 capabilities in Mosul, thanks to their proximity to the city which enables intelligence collection and targeting, said Col. Andrew Milburn of the U.S. Marines, who commands coalition special operations forces.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very careful targeting. Your guys are not causing civilian casualties here. I can affirm that,鈥� Milburn told the Star in an interview earlier this week.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 a hard claim to make but these guys are doing this very well. They鈥檙e deliberately going after what we call key nodes in ISIS infrastructure, leadership, (command and control) nodes,鈥� he said.
It was Vance鈥檚 first visit to Iraq since taking over as top general last summer and he saw firsthand the devastation caused by Daesh and the ongoing disruption caused by the conflict.
Vance visited a key stretch of the highway linking Erbil and Mosul where it crosses the Khazir River.
In 2014, this territory was all held by ISIS. With Erbil at risk, Peshmerga forces counterattacked, pushing ISIS fighters back. In their retreat, the militants blew up the bridge to stall the Peshmerga counterattack.
Today, two spans of the bridge are nothing more than smashed concrete and twisted metal, resting in the river.
An improvised single-lane, steel girder bridge has been erected in its place. On Thursday afternoon, a steady of cars passed by carrying Peshmerga fighters headed to and from the front, just a short distance to the west. Lacking military transport, they are forced to rely on their personal vehicles to move about.
Three villages, all within eyesight, have been largely abandoned and the buildings and terrain remain littered with explosive devices.
鈥淎nything in the bushes, avoid it. The last thing I want is for you guys is to step on something that goes boom,鈥� a Canadian special operations sergeant cautioned journalists as they awaited Vance鈥檚 arrival.
Indeed, the general鈥檚 visit -- done under a tight cordon of security provided by Canadian special operations forces troops -- was not without risk. ISIS militants are just a few kilometres away and their rockets and mortars land on the riverside villages every day, the sergeant said.
Vance cast an expert eye on the demolished bridge and said it highlights the capabilities of ISIS. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a professional military act to drop that bridge,鈥� he said.
But while still dangerous, Vance painted a picture of ISIS as a faltering force, starved of financing, losing terrain and forced to put inexperienced personnel into battle as 鈥渃annon fodder.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 no doubt in my mind -- and I don鈥檛 want to overplay this -- they will lose militarily in Iraq. It鈥檚 inevitable,鈥� Vance said.
鈥淏ut between now and the time they lose militarily they still have the power to generate big events that can cause a lot of problems,鈥� he said.
That鈥檚 why local commanders like Maj.-Gen. Aziz Waisi, commander of the Zeravini forces, express gratitude for the work of Canadian soldiers -- and appeal for more.
鈥淭he Canadian people should be proud of their forces on the ground. They鈥檙e doing excellent work with us,鈥� said Waisi, who accompanied Vance.
But like others here, he pressed home their need for better weapons to replace decades-old military gear, equipment like vehicles, anti-tank weapons, night-vision goggles, robots to help defuse improvised explosive devices and drones.
鈥淲e are hoping that Canada can assist us more,鈥� Waisi said.
As part of its retooled mission, Canada has committed to providing arms for a new Zeravini commando force. 鈥淎s we form it and train it, they鈥檒l have the weapons necessary to do the job,鈥� Vance said.
But he quickly adds, 鈥渨e are not doing a wholesale re-equipping of the Peshmerga.鈥�
Canadian commanders have conceded that more troops on the ground means more risk.
But Vance is hoping Canadians get behind the expanded mission.
鈥淛ust because it鈥檚 hard and dangerous doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 bad,鈥� Vance said.
鈥淲e do danger. That鈥檚 what a military force is for. Canada鈥檚 military goes to dangerous places all the time. It鈥檚 always for a good cause. I鈥檇 like very much for Canadians to put their shoulder behind what we鈥檙e doing here,鈥� Vance said.
鈥淒espite the dangers, it is for a good cause,鈥� he said.
