Canada’s expanded training role in the fight against Islamic State militants may be dangerous, but it’s “for a good cause,” Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance said in an interview with CTV News in Khazir, Northern Iraq.
Speaking to CTV News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme, who is in Northern Iraq on a joint CTV News-Toronto Star reporting mission, Canada’s top soldier said that ISIS is still a “potent” force in the Middle East, but “they are defeatable.”
Vance said he wants Canadians to be proud of the Canadian Special Operations Forces, who have been tasked with training and advising local forces in Iraq in the fight against the terrorist organization.
As part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s promise to end Canada’s combat mission against ISIS in Iraq, the CF-18 fighter jets ceased their operations in the country in late February. Ottawa then tripled the size of the “train, advise and assist” effort in the region, sending more special forces to assist local troops on the ground.
Some criticized the move, saying that putting more military personnel on the ground increases the risk for Canadian casualties. But Vance told LaFlamme that’s simply part of the job.
“We do danger,” he said. “Canada’s military goes to dangerous places all the time and it’s always for a good cause.”
Vance said Canada’s special-ops soldiers are “bright, motivated and exceptionally well-trained.”
They are “ideally suited” for the “advise and assist” mission in Iraq, he added.
“We’re one of very, very small number of nations in the world that can do what we do.”
The Canadian soldiers’ work in the region has already paid off, Vance said, noting that Iraqi security forces were recently able to recapture the central city of Ramadi, which was occupied by ISIS.
An even bigger challenge for the Iraqi army lies ahead. The local forces have been preparing an assault on the biggest ISIS stronghold in the country -- the city of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Vance said he did not have a timeline for the mission to retake Mosul, but he believes it will be successful, as long as the right conditions are met.
“I think we’re on good ground to be able to really understand what’s going on in front of us,” he said.
But ISIS is “still a potent force,” and can never be underestimated, he said.
“They’re still motivated.”
The global effort to eradicate ISIS “will continue for some time,” Vance said, adding that the success of Iraq as a country will depend on what the government does after ISIS has been defeated.
In the meantime, Vance said he hopes Canadians understand why their military continues to be involved.
“I’d like very much for Canadians to put their shoulder behind what we’re doing here,” he said. “Despite the dangers, it is for a good cause.”
