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.
The news of the events raised questions by opposition legislators in Ottawa about the role Canada is playing in the fight against IS, with some accusing the government of misleading the country on the purpose of Canadian troops in Iraq, who are limited to training local forces.
Gen. Tom Lawson, chief of Canada's defense staff, noted in a statement the situation on the ground in Iraq had changed and that Canada has increased its involvement "in direct correlation with an increased threat" faced by Iraqi troops.
