Canadian Forces and Iraq

isil: The proclamation capped three years of often intense fighting that first started when ISIL captured large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014 and declared the creation of a self-styled caliphate, according to CTV. Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told reporters following a visit to the Middle East this week that victory came faster than Canada and its allies had expected, and the focus now is on ensuring stability in Iraq after ISIL. The military will present options to the government in the new year, though it seems evident that Canadian forces will be training Iraqi counterparts to protect against various threats from inside and outside the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced earlier this month that the country had been fully liberated from ISIL after the militant group, also known as Daesh, was cleared from the last pockets of territory that it had held in the country. Sajjan did not give any indication that the government was planning to end Canada's military mission in Iraq, which was extended this past summer to March 2019. As you know, we've taken 100 per cent of the territory but a lot more work needs to be done to make sure that stability within the nation remains and the capacity building needs to start. The progress against Daesh has gone actually quite well, to the point where we are actually ahead of schedule based on our plan, he said by telephone from London, where he was meeting with his British counterpart. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.