Op IMPACT: CAF in the Iraq & Syria crisis

[The Bread Guy]

Note the lack of source for the alleged "fears".  So who exactly is fearing?

The media on an otherwise slow new day?

MM

The goat needs to be fed ...

Good question, though -- this from a longer version of the story ...

... While former Canadian diplomat Ferry de Kerckhove said it was unlikely Russia would risk shooting down a coalition aircraft, Canadian or otherwise, he worried about the increasing rhetoric and tension in Syria.

"This is very dangerous," he said. "And if it rises, they could certainly be caught in the middle. If we're talking about an escalation in the tension, there could be some concern for the Canadians, absolutely." ...

So if it's "fears", this guy must be facing more than one fear.

 

[MarkOttawa]

Aussies worried:

Syria conflict: Australia [temporarily] suspends anti-IS raids
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40339101

Mark
Ottawa

 

[Eye In The Sky]

We have aircrew flying in Syria?  Why didn't you tell us sooner.... 8)

Hmmm...good point.  I'll keep the thread updated more often.  ^-^

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Note the lack of source for the alleged "fears".  So who exactly is fearing?

The folks who really like the ice cream machine at the DFAC...'cause it did break a few times.

 

[Swingline1984]

Not sure where to put this story (this is the closest I could find), but it appears the record has not just been beaten, but handily destroyed...

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadian-elite-special-forces-sniper-sets-record-breaking-kill-shot-in-iraq/article35415651/

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Article Link

Canadian elite special forces sniper makes record-breaking kill shot in Iraq

A sniper with Canada's elite special forces in Iraq has shattered the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot in military history at a staggering distance of 3,450 metres.

Sources say a member of Joint Task Force 2 killed an Islamic State insurgent with a McMillan TAC-50 sniper rifle while firing from a high-rise during an operation that took place within the last month in Iraq. It took under 10 seconds to hit the target.

"The shot in question actually disrupted a Daesh [Islamic State] attack on Iraqi security forces," said a military source, who stressed the operation fell within the strictures of the government's advise and assist mission. "Instead of dropping a bomb that could potentially kill civilians in the area, it is a very precise application of force and because it was so far way, the bad guys didn't have a clue what was happening."

The kill was independently verified by video camera and other data, The Globe and Mail has learned.

"Hard data on this. It isn't an opinion. It isn't an approximation. There is a second location with eyes on with all the right equipment to capture exactly what the shot was," another military source said.

A military insider told The Globe: "This is an incredible feat. It is a world record that might never be equalled."

The world record was previously held by British sniper Craig Harrison, who shot a Taliban gunner with a 338 Lapua Magnum rifle from 2,475 metres away in 2009.

Previously, Canadian Corporal Rob Furlong had set the world record in 2002 at 2,430 metres when he gunned down an Afghan insurgent carrying an RPK machine gun during Operation Anaconda.

Weeks before, Canadian Master Cpl. Arron Perry briefly held the world's best sniper record after he fatally shot an insurgent at 2,310 metres during the same operation. Both soldiers were members of the 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

JTF2 special forces are primarily tasked with counterterrorism, sniper operations and hostage rescue. Much of the information about this elite organization is classified and not commented on by the government. The unit's snipers and members of Canadian Special Operations Regiment, who are carrying out the main task of training Kurdish forces, have been operating in tough conditions in Iraq.

The Trudeau government pulled CF-18 fighter jets out of Iraq in 2016 but expanded the military mission, which will see the number of Canadian special forces trainers climb to 207 from 69 in an assist, train and advise mission. Canadian commandos are not supposed to be involved in direct combat, but are authorized to go up to the front lines on training missions with Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and to paint targets for coalition air strikes.

For operational security reasons, sources would not reveal the names of the elite Canadian sniper and his partner, nor the location where the action took place.

A sniper and his observer partner are often sent to remote and dangerous locations to hunt down insurgents while having to carry heavy equipment. Once they have located the target, snipers follow the same methodical approach before each shot. Breathe in, out, in, out, find a natural pause and then squeeze the trigger.

Canada has a reputation among Western military forces for the quality of its snipers, despite the small size of the Canadian Armed Forces compared to the United States and Britain.

"Canada has a world-class sniper system. It is not just a sniper. They work in pairs. There is an observer," a military source said. "This is a skill set that only a very few people have."

The skill of the JTF2 sniper in taking down an insurgent at 3,450 metres required math skills, great eyesight, precision of ammunition and firearms, and superb training.

"It is at the distance where you have to account not just for the ballistics of the round, which change over time and distance, you have to adjust for wind, and the wind would be swirling," said a source with expertise in training Canadian special forces.

"You have to adjust for him firing from a higher location downward and as the round drops you have to account for that. And from that distance you actually have to account for the curvature of the Earth."

U.S. Sergeant Bryan Kremer has the longest confirmed sniper kill shot by a U.S. soldier. He killed an Iraqi insurgent with his Barrett M82A1 rifle at 2,300 metres in 2004.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Aussies worried:

  Syria conflict: Australia [temporarily] suspends anti-IS raids
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-40339101

Mark
Ottawa

Aaaand, they're back at 'er ...

Australia has said it will resume its military air operations over Syria.

A temporary suspension was declared on Tuesday after Russia warned it would treat aircraft from the US-led coalition as potential targets.

That warning came after the US shot down a Syrian military plane.

The Australian Defence Force said it had been "a precautionary measure to allow the coalition to assess the operational risk" ...

 

[a_majoor]

Sniper story getting coverage in blogs as varied as Instapundit and NextBigFuture. It certainly is a large jump in distance compared to the previous "records". I wonder if it would be worthwhile to radically increase the number of snipers and really make getting around dangerous for people like the Taliban and ISIS? The ability to kill from such a distance with no way for the enemy of really knowing where the shot came from (at that range you would be hard pressed to see or hear the shot being fired, and the time between the "crack" and the "thump" would be pretty hard to determine when scrambling for cover) would be a very potent psychological tool in the toolbox.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Something from the broader radar screen ...

With Canada helping the Kurds and the Iraqis, it looks like some lines are being drawn (or maybe, new lines on maps NOT being drawn?) early on ...

Canada has told the Kurds that it wants to see Iraq remain united and not broken into different parts that would include an independent Kurdish state. But experts say it is only a matter of time before the Kurds, strengthened by Canadian military assistance, try to declare independence.

(...)

A spokeswoman for Global Affairs Canada, previously known as the foreign affairs department, says Canada is “committed to the unity and territorial integrity of the Republic of Iraq.” Diana Khaddaj added that “this position is well known to our Iraqi interlocutors, including in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.”

Khaddaj said the government’s decision to expand military support to peshmerga was driven by the needs of its allies in fighting ISIL. She did not say how Kurdish desires for independence were considered or weighed as the Liberal government decided on Canada’s new mission.

As for concerns Canada is contributing to an eventual conflict between the Kurds and the Iraqi government, Khaddaj said: “We are in close contact with the Iraqi authorities on the implementation of our new strategy, which will be carried out with the full consent of the Iraqi government.” ...

The latest on that ...

While the federal government considers whether to renew Canada's mission against Islamic State militants, a different sort of battle is brewing inside Iraq.

Iraq's Kurdish people are gearing up for a long-awaited referendum in September on whether to seek independence from the rest of the country.

The move comes despite fierce objections from Iraq's central government in Baghdad, and opposition from the U.S., European countries and most of Iraq's neighbours.

Global Affairs Canada says Canada supports unity in Iraq, but otherwise the government hasn't publicly weighed in on the Kurdish referendum.

That's despite Canadian officials warning the Liberals in November 2015 that Canadian military support to the Kurds could one day be used to help them break from the rest of Iraq.

The Liberal government responded by increasing the number of Canadian troops working with the Kurds in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and promising to provide them with weapons.

The Liberals are expected to announce in the coming days whether those troops will remain in Iraq past the end of the month.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

So Liberal led Canada supports Neo-Imperialist, Colonist, racially motivated imposed Sykes-Picot accords over the democratic will of oppressed minorities who have suffered for generations under brutal dictatorships? Oh that's gold......... [

 

[The Bread Guy]

So Liberal led Canada supports Neo-Imperialist, Colonist, racially motivated imposed Sykes-Picot accords over the democratic will of oppressed minorities who have suffered for generations under brutal dictatorships? Oh that's gold......... [

If the World Socialists or rabble.ca are looking for part-time writers, you're just what they'd need  ;D

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Thanks for reminding me, have to go stir the pot....

 

[The Bread Guy]

Two more years (also attached if link doesn't work) - highlights mine ...

Daesh’s atrocities have led to countless tragedies, not only because of the impact on their immediate victims, but because of the subsequent humanitarian crises and increased forced migration that has affected millions of innocent lives throughout the region. The world has united against Daesh and Canada will defend its interests alongside our allies while working with local partners to establish more stable and secure conditions.

Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland today announced that Canada is renewing its military contribution to the Global Coalition against Daesh until March 31, 2019.

The Coalition has made significant progress in the fight against Daesh in Mosul. As the situation evolves, Coalition allies and partners must remain flexible and adapt to changing threats. This renewed contribution continues the existing advise and assist mission. Within that context, the Canadian Armed Forces will be able to deploy capabilities as needs arise, enabling it to continue to be an effective and relevant contributor to the Global Coalition.

This extension includes the authority to provide training for new potential partners within the Iraqi security forces and a CC-130J Hercules aircraft for tactical airlift.

As outlined in Canada’s new defence policy, the government is dedicated to working with Coalition allies and partners to deter and defeat potential adversaries. Canada’s contributions to the Global Coalition against Daesh demonstrate our commitment to addressing the threat stemming from violent extremist organizations such as Daesh, and respond to the needs of conflict-affected people in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Quotes

    “Our new defence policy has made it very clear that Canada is ready and willing to do its part for the global community. This includes confronting security issues that threaten our shores and those of our allies and partners. We must continue working with the Global Coalition against Daesh and to address the security challenges which confront Iraq, Syria, and the region.”

    - Defence Minister Harjit S. Sajjan

    “Canada is deeply engaged in the fight against Daesh and we are a proud and committed partner fully engaged in the Global Coalition’s efforts. Today’s announcement reflects Canada’s sustained support for the people of Iraq, Syria, and the region as well as our commitment to promoting security, stability, and peace in the Middle East.”

    - Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland

    “I am extremely proud of the accomplishments made by our women and men in the Canadian Armed Forces in the Global Coalition against Daesh. As the situation on the ground evolves, we must continually re-evaluate how Canada’s military can be most effective in support of the Coalition. I am confident these additional authorities will help us be more agile and flexible as we respond to the needs of our allies and partners.”

    - General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff

Quick Facts

    Canada will also continue to contribute existing capabilities, including:
        Aerial refueling and surveillance capabilities;
        Tactical helicopters;
        Training, advising, and assisting Iraqi security forces;
        Capacity building in Jordan and Lebanon;
        A Role 2 medical facility; and
        Support to the Global Coalition with highly-skilled personnel, including intelligence support.

    This extension includes the authority to deploy up to 850 military personnel.

    Canada is providing $371.4 million over two years to support the cost of this renewed contribution to the Global Coalition against Daesh.

    Through the Government of Canada’s whole-of-government strategy, announced in February 2016, Canada is also contributing more than $1.6 billion over the course of three years to address security, stabilization, humanitarian and development challenges stemming from the crises in Iraq and Syria and their impacts on Jordan and Lebanon.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-mosul-idUSKBN19K0YZArticle Link

Iraq declares end of caliphate after capture of Mosul mosque

By Khaled al-Ramahi and Maher Chmaytelli | MOSUL/ERBIL, Iraq

After eight months of grinding urban warfare, Iraqi government troops on Thursday captured the ruined mosque at the heart of Islamic State's de facto capital Mosul, and the prime minister declared the group's self-styled caliphate at an end.

Iraqi authorities expect the long battle for Mosul to end in coming days as remaining Islamic State fighters are bottled up in just a handful of neighborhoods of the Old City.

The seizure of the nearly 850-year-old Grand al-Nuri Mosque -- from where Islamic State proclaimed the caliphate nearly three years ago to the day -- is a huge symbolic victory.

"The return of al-Nuri Mosque and al-Hadba minaret to the fold of the nation marks the end of the Daesh state of falsehood," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement, referring to the hardline Sunni Mulsim group by an Arabic acronym.

The fall of Mosul would in effect mark the end of the Iraqi half of the IS caliphate, although the group still controls territory west and south of the city, ruling over hundreds of thousands of people.

Its stronghold in Syria, Raqqa, is also close to falling.

A U.S.-backed Kurdish-led coalition besieging Raqqa on Thursday fully encircled it after closing the militants' last way out from the south, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

These setbacks have reduced Islamic State's territory by 60 percent from its peak two years ago and its revenue by 80 percent, to just $16 million a month, said IHS Markit.

"Their fictitious state has fallen," an Iraqi military spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, told state TV.

However, it still occupies an area as big as Belgium, across Iraq and Syria, according to IHS Markit, an analytics firm.

Islamic State fighters blew up the medieval mosque and its famed leaning minaret a week ago as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces started a push in its direction. Their black flag had been flying from al-Hadba (The Hunchback) minaret since June 2014.

Much of the mosque and brickwork minaret was reduced to rubble, said a Reuters TV reporter who went to the site with the elite units that captured it.

Only the stump of the Hunchback remained, and a green dome of the mosque supported by a few pillars which resisted the blast, he said.

The mosque grounds were off limits as the insurgents are suspected to have planted booby traps.

Abadi "issued instructions to bring the battle to its conclusion," by capturing the remaining parts of the Old City, his office said.

The cost of the fighting has been enormous. In addition to military casualties, thousands of civilians are estimated to have been killed.

About 900,000 people, nearly half the pre-war population of the northern city, have fled, mostly taking refuge in camps or with relatives and friends, according to aid groups.

Those trapped in the city suffered hunger, deprivation and IS oppression as well as death or injury, and many buildings have been ruined.


ARDUOUS TASK

Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) troops captured the al-Nuri Mosque's ground in a "lightning operation" on Thursday, a commander of the U.S.-trained elite units told state TV.

CTS units are now in control of the mosque area and the al-Hadba and Sirjkhana neighborhoods and they are still advancing, a military statement said.

Other government units, from the army and police, were closing in from other directions.

An elite Interior Ministry unit said it freed about 20 children believed to belong to Yazidi and other minorities persecuted by the jihadists in a quarter north of the Old City which houses Mosul's main hospitals.

A U.S.-led international coalition is providing air and ground support to the Iraqi forces fighting through the Old City's maze of narrow alleyways.

But the advance remains arduous as IS fighters are dug in the middle of civilians, using mortar fire, snipers, booby traps and suicide bombers to defend their last redoubt.

The military estimated up to 350 militants were still in the Old City last week but many have been killed since.

They are besieged in one sq km (0.4 square mile) making up less than 40 percent of the Old City and less than one percent of the total area of Mosul, the largest urban center over which they held sway in both Iraq and Syria.

Those residents who have escaped the Old City say many of the civilians trapped behind IS lines -- put last week at 50,000 by the Iraqi military -- are in a desperate situation with little food, water or medicines.

"Boys and girls who have managed to escape show signs of moderate malnutrition and carry psychosocial scars," the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF said in a statement.

Thousands of children remain at risk in Mosul, it said.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed himself ruler of all Muslims from the Grand al-Nuri Mosque's pulpit on July 4, 2014, after the insurgents overran swathes of Iraq and Syria.

His speech from the mosque was the first time he revealed himself to the world and the footage broadcast then is to this day the only video recording of him as "caliph".

He has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and is believed to be hiding in the border area between Iraq and Syria, according to U.S. and Iraqi military sources.

The mosque was named after Nuruddin al‑Zanki, a noble who fought the early Crusaders from a fiefdom that covered territory in modern-day Turkey, Syria and Iraq. It was built in 1172-73, shortly before his death, and housed an Islamic school.

The Old City's stone buildings date mostly from the medieval period. They include market stalls, a few mosques and churches, and small houses built and rebuilt on top of each other over the ages.


(Additional reporting by Stephen Kalin in Erbil. Writing by Maher Chmaytelli, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

 

[The Bread Guy]

From Kurdish media, shared under the Fair Dealing provisions of the Copyright Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42) ...

Canadian special forces tasked with buying weapons for Kurds

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Canadian special forces have taken over the process of purchasing weapons for the Peshmerga forces of the Kurdistan Region in line with a promise made by Canadian prime minister last year to assist the Kurdish troops.

“There is no standard, pre-determined process or timeline for an equipment acquisition of this complexity,” read a statement from the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Commercial Corporation, as reported by the National Post.

The statement continues: “Given the ongoing situation on the ground, the requirements are urgent and operational. For this reason, contracts have been awarded on a sole-source basis.”

Canada’s Department of National Defence the cost of the purchase is $9.5 million.

“That includes .50-calibre sniper rifles equipped with silencers, 60mm mortars and Carl Gustav anti-tank systems, as well as grenade launchers, pistols, carbines, thermal binoculars, cameras, scopes and medical supplies.” National Post reports.

Canada was one of the first countries to send fighter jets to help the Kurds against ISIS in October 2014, though the current liberal government has withdrawn the jets and pledged training and arms supply instead.

The equipment that Ottawa has promised to supply the Kurds come from Canadian companies “Although the timeline for the purchases isn’t known, DND said the aim is to deliver the items as quickly as possible.”

According to Canada’s Defence Minister, as quoted by the newspaper, the long delay of purchasing and delivering the weapons has been due to “bureaucratic roadblocks, not resistance from the Iraqi or Turkish governments.”

 

[jmt18325]

If only we could do that for ourselves....

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Certain items can be purchased quicker *than normal*.  Things that are deemed UOR (Urgent Operational Requirement) is one example.

 

[The Bread Guy]

A couple of updates ...

Surveillance plane crews strained after three years flying over Iraq, Syria
By: Lee Berthiaume The Canadian Press Published on Thu Jul 27 2017

The Canadian military is hoping the recent withdrawal of one of its Aurora surveillance planes from the fight against the Islamic State will help ease what had become a serious strain on the fleet's aircrews.

Two Auroras were deployed to the Middle East as part of Canada's response to ISIL in November 2014, along with dozens of special forces troops, six fighter jets and a refuelling plane.

Using high-powered cameras and sensors, the Auroras gathered data about possible ISIL targets for attacks and air strikes in Iraq and then, after the mission was expanded, inside Syria.

The planes have flown a total of 821 reconnaissance missions since first arriving at their base in Kuwait, with both Canadian and coalition commanders praising their role in the fight against ISIL.

But one of the Auroras was quietly withdrawn from the region in May, without explanation.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Col. Iain Huddleston, the air force's director of fleet readiness, said the U.S.-led coalition no longer needed the plane because of the recent liberation of Mosul.

Yet he also said there had been concerns within military circles about the impact that three years of non-stop flying over Iraq and Syria was having on Aurora aircrews ...

Canadian troops help secure Mosul as future battles loom
The acting commander of the Canadian forces admits that despite these advances, there is still much work to be done to eliminate Daesh.
Bruce Campion-Smith, Toronto Star Ottawa Bureau
Sat., July 29, 2017

Iraqi security forces and its allies, including Canada, are helping secure Mosul after liberating it from Daesh, even as future battles loom to root extremists from other Iraqi cities.

And while it’s not known yet whether Canadian special operations forces soldiers — serving on an advise and assist mission to aid Iraqi and Kurdish troops — will be part of those coming operations, the acting commander of Canadian forces in the region concedes much work remains to be done to eliminate Daesh.

“While the battle for Mosul represents a significant milestone, the Canadian commitment to the coalition against Daesh, it’s more than that and there is still a lot of work to do throughout Iraq,” said Col. Jason Kenny, commander of the air task force in Iraq and acting commander, Joint Task Force — Iraq.

“Daesh continues to hold territory and pose a threat to Iraqis,” he said in a telephone interview from the region Friday.

“Our work is not done and we continue to focus on supporting the Iraqi forces as they fight Daesh,” he said.

Iraqi forces backed by coalition nations secured a major victory earlier this month when they won back control of Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city which had been a Daesh stronghold.

But Kenny cautioned that “significant work” remains, an acknowledgement that Daesh forces are still holed up in other Iraqi centres. And if Mosul is any indication — where extremists used suicide bombers, drones and civilians as human shields to prolong their hold on the city — the coming battles could be difficult.

“We’re prepared to support the Iraqi forces wherever that might take them,” Kenny said ...

More @ links

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I remember, last October, hearing *Mosul should be secure by the New Year*... :blotto:

 

[The Bread Guy]

I remember, last October, hearing *Mosul should be secure by the New Year*... :blotto:

Something about plans surviving contact (or not) comes to mind ...