OTTAWA, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Canadian troops in Iraq, training Kurdish troops, have been fired upon, and returned fire, at least three times in the past week by the Islamic State, a spokesman said.
The incidents come as Washington debates the role of U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, and the proximity of active combat to U.S. Army Special Forces engaged in training exercises there. Canadian Navy Capt. Paul Forget said Monday Canadian Special Operations Forces "neutralized the threat" of IS militants by returning fire twice at an undisclosed location in Iraq. On Jan. 20 Canada announced a similar incident, becoming the first Western country to have fought IS in ground combat; at the same time two Canadian generals acknowledged their country's forces aided in highlighting targets for missiles fired by fighter planes of the U.S.-led coalition.