Canada to end bombing missions in Syria, Iraq
October 21, 2015
Canadian fighter jets will be ending their sorties against suspected IS fighters in Syria and Iraq, Trudeau said Tuesday.
While Canada remains "a strong member of the coalition against (Islamic State)," Trudeau said he made clear to the US president "the commitments I have made around ending the combat mission."
Trudeau did not offer a timetable for when the mission would end.
The two North American leaders spoke at length about the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership, combating terrorism and working together to achieve an "ambitious" climate agreement in Paris later this year, the White House said in a statement.
Conservative politicians have warned that removing Canada's six warplanes from the US-led anti-IS coalition could lead to friction with the US. But Trudeau swept to victory Monday ending nine years of right-wing rule under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper whose hawkish policies favored military intervention in the Mideast.
The 43-year-old Liberal Party leader has also vowed to take in 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of the year. His predecessor had declined to resettle more Syrian refugees despite public outcry following images of a drowned 3-year-old's body washed up on a Turkish beach. The boy's family had made a failed attempt to emigrate to Canada.
jar/jm (AP, AFP)