Canada to boost troops in anti-ISIS mission, keep some planes -source

By David Ljunggren
OTTAWA, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Canada, under pressure to stay
involved in the U.S-led mission against Islamic State, will
boost the number of troops on training duty in Iraq while
keeping reconnaissance and refueling planes in the region, a
defense source said on Friday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau won an election last October
promising to pull out six jets that have been bombing targets in
Iraq and Syria. Trudeau has made clear he will stick to that
commitment, despite unhappiness with the decision among allies.
Trudeau is due to unveil the revamped mission next week,
according to a government source with direct knowledge of the
file.
Separately, the defense source said Canada would keep two
Aurora surveillance planes in the region, as well as a refueling
aircraft.
Canada currently has about 70 soldiers training Kurdish
troops in northern Iraq, a number that will be increased to
about 300, the source said.
Ministers have been debating what the trainers would and
would not be allowed to do, according to the source. Last March,
one Canadian soldier was killed and three others were injured in
a friendly fire incident in Iraq.
Canadians' appetite for foreign military missions has
dropped after 10 years of involvement in Afghanistan that ended
in 2011, and during which 158 soldiers were killed.
The United States, Britain and France - who worry that if
Canada withdraws the jets it will undermine the effort against
Islamic State - have become increasingly impatient with Ottawa
over what they see as foot dragging, said a third source with
direct knowledge of the diplomatic talks.
"The message to Canada is clear: we understand you made a
campaign commitment to pull out the jets. But you need to tell
us what you are doing and you need to do it soon," the source
said.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last week expressed
confidence Trudeau and his officials were "working on ways to
continue their significant contribution" to the campaign against
Islamic State.
The jets are due to end their mission in March. One option
for Trudeau would be to let the bombing continue until then,
rather than pulling them out early.
Trudeau told reporters on Friday that Canada would stay
involved "in a robust and responsible way" but did not give
details. Unveiling the plan early next week would allow Defense
Minister Harjit Sajjan to brief his counterparts at a NATO
meeting in Brussels on Feb 10-11.