TORONTO—Canada’s prime minister on Monday announced that the country will end airstrikes against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Syria and Iraq by Feb. 22, saying that “the people terrorized by ISIL every day don’t need our vengeance, they need our help.”
Justin Trudeau, following up on campaign promises he made last year, also announced that the government will expand efforts to train local forces and rebuild the war-torn region. Military personnel in the region will increase to 830 from the current 650 and provide planning, targeting and intelligence expertise.
“As I said many times throughout the campaign in my commitment to Canadians, this is a non-combat mission,” Trudeau said. The Liberal leader said Canada’s contribution to the U.S.-led coalition’s mission against ISIS is being extended until the end of March 2017.
The U.S. had asked coalition members to boost their military contributions in Iraq and Syria against ISIS after the deadly attacks in Paris in November. However, Trudeau’s promise that Canada would pull its jets was already part of his winning campaign.
