CAF extends Role 2 Treatment Facility deployment in Iraq

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has extended its commitment to lead the Role 2 Medical Treatment Facility in Erbil, Iraq until March 31, 2019.

The extension is in response to a request made by the United States.

“Canada continues to be committed to the long-term success of a peaceful Iraq. The information I gathered from my meetings with government officials and our troops has been significant in gaining a clearer understanding of the situation on the ground, which will help to better inform the transition to stabilization operations. I also had the chance to thank the brave women and men in uniform for their dedication and hard work in one of the most dangerous regions in the world,” said Minister of National Defence, Harjit S. Sajjan.

Sajjan recently returned from a visit to Iraq and Kuwait where he met with key officials, allies and members of the CAF deployed on Op IMPACT.

While in Iraq, the Minister met with his Iraqi counterpart, Erfan al-Hiyali where he emphasised Canada’s continued commitment to the Coalition against Daesh. He also took the opportunity to recognize the work of CAF personnel contributing to NATO’s Training and Capacity-Building activity in Iraq (NTCB-I). There is approximately 20 personnel providing valuable explosive threat training to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

In Kuwait, he met with Canadian military personnel and LtGen Paul E. Funk II, Commander of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), which is a US-led international coalition set up by the US Central Command to coordinate military efforts against Daesh.

Although the Government of Iraq has reclaimed territory previously controlled by Daesh, there is still much work to be done to eliminate the threat completely.