Canada extends, shrinks its anti-ISIS military mission in the Middle East

Canada’s signature military mission in the Middle East is being expanded and scaled back, the federal government announced Monday.

In a media statement, Defense Minister Anita Anand said Operation Impact, the anti-terrorism mission launched by the previous Conservative government to fight Islamic State extremists nearly a decade ago, will continue until 2025.

Most of the military effort is focused on Iraq, but Canada has also contributed to building the military capabilities of Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon.

The extension will allow the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to continue to play an important role in supporting regional partners in the advancement of peace and security, Anand said in the statement.

“When I visited them in December, I saw firsthand how things are making a difference for our partners and allies,” he added.

Defense officials, speaking in the background after the minister’s statement, said the reauthorized mission would be reduced in size.

There are about 300 members of the Canadian military currently deployed to support OP Impact, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.

The mission will be simplified and up to 150 personnel will remain after the realignment is complete.

“A modified Canadian military footprint in the region will streamline command, control and support infrastructure,” the official said.

Canada’s military is facing a manpower shortage. Chief of the Defense Staff General Wayne Eyre has repeatedly indicated that the force must look at the resources it can spare for each global commitment.

Late last summer, the Canadian military admitted it was reducing its air detachment in the Middle East, which supports anti-terrorism operations and UN peacekeeping missions in Africa.

Two C-130J cargo aircraft and associated ground support crews are being redeployed from Kuwait and Iraq to the UK to support NATO operations and the delivery of military equipment related to the war in Ukraine.

The official said the training of security forces in Jordan and Lebanon will continue on a bilateral basis.

Almost a decade ago, Canada joined other western countries, led by the United States, in a campaign to get rid of Islamic State extremists who have seized large swathes of territory in Syria and northern Iraq.

ISIS’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” is marked by a campaign of mass murder, torture, rape and enslavement.

Iraqi and Kurdish forces, backed by air force and western training, eventually captured all of Iraq in a conventional-style military campaign.

Terrorist groups are still active in the region. A senior Iraqi general told local media that ISIS has 500 active fighters in the country, mostly in deserts and mountain shelters.

The United Nations said in a report last month that ISIS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 members in neighboring Iraq and Syria. It is reported that about half of its members are active combatants.