"We are ready for a land campaign, that's what we need in Iraq and Syria." This is what Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Defense of Canada, declared during a speech on the CBC. A statement that would have disappointed some of the member countries of the US-led Coalition against the Islamic State. In fact, Canada has already announced its intention to withdraw the fighter-bombers currently engaged in the Region within a few months.
“At present, continuing with air strikes makes little sense. Or rather, it is no longer the only thing to do. The next intervention, which would also be the most responsible, is to meet the needs of the Coalition ”.
Harjit Sajjan's reflection confirms the new strategy of the Islamic State, different from the first phase of the war. The troops of the caliphate, in fact, no longer fight in the open and new countermeasures have been implemented to minimize the effectiveness of the raids.
“Now we have to find the enemy and this cannot be done by the fighters from the sky. We need fighting troops ”.
Since 2014, Canada has deployed 70 special forces operators to train Kurds in Iraqi Kurdistan. The new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has already confirmed that Canadian fighters will be withdrawn from the conflict by March 31st.
“The only way to ensure victory is to send a ground force. Obviously, such a mission cannot be supported by Canada alone ”.
(photo: Canadian Army)
