Military Base Housing Canadian Troops Attacked as US-Iraq Tensions Escalate

A Canadian Forces door gunner keeps watch as his Griffon helicopter goes on a mission, Feb. 20, 2017 in northern Iraq. The Canadian Press/Ryan Remiorz

OTTAWA—Canadian troops risk being caught in the middle of escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iraq, even as the six-year-old fight against the Islamic State group morphs into a geopolitical struggle between Washington and Iran.

The past week has seen a series of rocket attacks by Iranian-backed militias targeting U.S. diplomatic and military facilities. That includes an attack Wednesday against a base in Iraq’s Kurdistan region that is home to American troops and an undisclosed number of Canadian special forces soldiers.