Canada, NATO allies withdraw military operations in Iraq after Iran attack – National
Canada’s military has joined its NATO allies in withdrawing troops from Iraq amid the ongoing war with Iran, Defense Minister David McGuinty said Friday.
NATO Commander-in-Chief, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, confirmed earlier on Friday that the coalition has evacuated several hundred personnel from Iraq and moved them to Europe. They were part of a NATO security advisory mission established in 2018 to advise Iraqi defense and security officials.
“As part of this transition, Canadian Armed Forces personnel and Canadian citizens assigned to NATO Mission Iraq have been relocated to a safe and secure location and are being monitored,” McGuinty said in a statement issued by his office.
Grynkewich said the mission will continue its work from the Joint Force Command Naples.
The move comes after Iran attacked some British, French and Italian bases in Iraq, as Tehran stepped up its attacks on neighboring Gulf Arab states in retaliation for US and Israeli airstrikes that began three weeks ago.
Attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf increased after Israel bombed Iran’s largest natural gas facility in South Pars earlier this week. Kuwait and Bahrain reported new strikes on Friday.
Last Friday, US President Donald Trump posted on social media that his administration is considering “reducing” military operations in the Middle East.
Trump said in his post on Truth Social that the US is “very close to meeting our objectives” for the war, including degrading Iran’s military, naval, missile and nuclear capabilities.
However, Reuters and the Associated Press reported on Friday that the US was sending another 2,500 Marines to the Middle East, as well as at least one assault ship. The reports cited U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, and Global News could not independently confirm the additional deployment.
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The Trump administration has requested an additional US$200 billion from Congress to fund the war.
Trump’s statement also left a blurred picture of whether the United States will police the important shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz. Trump said this week that the US doesn’t need help, complaining that other countries don’t.
“The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, if necessary, by the other Nations that use it – the United States does not want it!” he wrote.
“If we are asked, we will help these countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it should not be necessary once the threat from Iran has been eliminated. Importantly, it will be an easy Military Operation for them.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump wrote on social media that NATO allies are “COWARDS” for rejecting his calls for help in the Strait, adding that the US “will remember!”
Canada on Thursday joined the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan in a statement saying it was willing to “participate in appropriate efforts” to ensure safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
The nations did not say what specific steps might be taken.
McGuinty left the door open for the Canadian military to help neighboring countries defend themselves against an attack by Iran, if they seek help from the NATO alliance.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s office said Friday that any potential support from Canada would be guided by local needs, as well as Canadian laws and policies, and consultation with allies and partners.
His spokesperson said Canada remains focused on negotiations to reduce tensions, and stop attacks by all players on energy infrastructure.
The Canadian Armed Forces have not been involved in the current war and no members of the Canadian military have participated in its operations, the Department of National Defense said.
The ministry said that, according to figures from March 5, the Canadian Armed Forces has approximately 200 personnel deployed in the Middle East in six different missions.
Some military members were relocated to the region or redeployed to Canada. The department says it will not disclose the number of workers in certain areas due to security reasons.
The department also confirmed that about three members of the Canadian military who were exchanged with part of the US air force were not sent to the Persian Gulf region.
The ministry said 35 members of the Canadian Armed Forces are currently serving in some capacity with the 552nd Air Control Wing’s Canadian Detachment, but have not left the US to serve in the Gulf.
The US wing, based out of Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, has deployed six Boeing E-3G Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft to an airfield in Saudi Arabia.
-via files from The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
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