By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper denied on Thursday that Canadian military advisers in Iraq would be dragged into combat against Islamic State militants despite a recent clash but said Canada's forces would kill anyone who attacked them. Asked whether he anticipated Canadian troops taking on more of a combat role, Harper replied: "**, I do **t." He insisted the about 70 Canadian special forces personnel on the ground in Iraq are there to help local forces in their fight against the militants. "This is a robust mission ... if those guys fire at us we're going to fire back and we're going to kill them, just like our guys did, and we're very proud of the job they're doing in Iraq," he told reporters in St. Catharines, Ontario. Canada pledged in October to join the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq for six months.
01-23-2015, 09:01 PM
'We're going to kill' Iraq militants who attack Canadian troops: PM
By David Ljunggren OTTAWA (Reuters) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper denied on Thursday that Canadian military advisers in Iraq would be dragged into combat against Islamic State militants despite a recent clash but said Canada's forces would kill anyone who attacked them. Asked whether he anticipated Canadian troops taking on more of a combat role, Harper replied: "**, I do **t." He insisted the about 70 Canadian special forces personnel on the ground in Iraq are there to help local forces in their fight against the militants. "This is a robust mission ... if those guys fire at us we're going to fire back and we're going to kill them, just like our guys did, and we're very proud of the job they're doing in Iraq," he told reporters in St. Catharines, Ontario. Canada pledged in October to join the U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq for six months.
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