This file photo shows one of Canada's CF-18 Hornets in flight during an air combat training exercise.[/caption]Canadas parliament has voted in favor of a motion for the country to join the so-called US-led coalition against the Takfiri ISIL militants operating in Iraq and Syria.
The motion, passed on Tuesday with 157 votes for and 134 votes against, authorizes air raids on the ISIL militants in Iraq for a period of more than six months.
It explicitly states that no ground forces will be used in Canada's planned anti-ISIL operations.
According to the measure, the combat mission includes at least six CF-18 fighter jets, a refueling tanker aircraft, two surveillance planes and one airlift plane. It will involve about 600 air crew.
The threat posed by ISIL is real. If left unchecked, this terrorist organization will grow and grow quickly. They have already voiced their local and international terrorist intentions and identified Canada as a potential target, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said.
Since late September the US along with its Western and regional allies have been conducting airstrikes against the ISIL inside Syria, without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate. The US started its airstrikes on Iraq in August.
Many countries in the so-called anti-terror coalition such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have been staunch supporters of the ISIL Takfiri militants.
The airstrikes are an extension of the US-led aerial campaign against the ISIL positions in Iraq.
The ISIL terrorists currently control large swathes of territory across Syria and Iraq. They have committed heinous atrocities in both countries, including mass executions and beheadings of people.
By Press TV
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