Canada to enter fight against the Islamic State

Canada’s House of Commons has voted to to join the US-led coalition in its war against Islamist militants in Iraq.

New Democrats and Liberals opposed the motion saying the government had not made the case for direct Canadian combat action against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, adding it had not provided enough information on the mission.

The motion passed 157 to 134, which will see Canada contribute six CF-18 fighter jets, as well as three other support aircraft, and around 600 personnel over six months.

NDP leader Tom Mulcair earlier proposed an amendment to change the motion from a direct combat engagement to supplying arms to local forces and boosting humanitarian aid was defeated 157 to 134.

Mulcair accused the conservatives of “plunging” Canada into a war without a plan to help the victims of IS.

“They have also opened the door to Canadian involvement in Syria’s bloody civil war,” Mulcair said.

“It is impossible to have confidence in the judgment of a prime minister who sends Canada into an unclear mission for an unspecified period, in an undefined area, with uncertain utility,” he said.

Meanwhile Liberal leader Justin Trudeau said while his party is at odds with the government on confronting IS, it will support Canada’s serving men and women.

“The members of the Canadian Armed Forces who will now go into harm’s way have our full and unwavering support,” Trudeau said.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the motion saying that defeating IS is vital for Canadian security.

“It is imperative that we act with our allies to halt ISIL’s spread in the region and reduce its capacity to launch terrorist attacks outside the region, including against Canada,” Harper said.

“We do not take this step lightly. The threat posed by ISIL is real. If left unchecked this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly,” he said.

Canada is the thirteenth country to join the US-led air coalition, out of sixty-two countries that are providing, or have have pledged support to counter the Islamic State.

Meanwhile coalition airstrikes have struck IS targets in the beleaguered Syrian border city of Kobane, which had seen the black flag of the Islamic State hoisted on the city’s outskirts.

According to Agence France-Presse, several Kurdish flags were still seen flying in the city’s centre.

Over 180,000 Kurdish civilians are believed to have fled following three weeks of intense fighting.