Canada's Justin Trudeau Promises to End Combat Mission in Syria

The next prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, said Tuesday he plans to keep a campaign promise and remove Canadian fighter jets from the skies over Iraq and Syria.

Speaking at his first press conference since winning Canada’s Oct. 19 election, Trudeau said he told his U.S. counterpart, President Barack Obama, “that we would continue to engage in a responsible way that understands how important Canada’s role is to play in the fight against Isil (the Islamic State group), but he understands the commitments I’ve made about ending the combat mission.”

Not bad for a liberal: Trudeau says no more Canadian fighter jets in Iraq & Syria, and yes to marijuana.

— Vijay Prashad (@vijayprashad) October 20, 2015

Trudeau, who will take office sometime in the next few weeks, did not say when exactly that combat mission would end.

According to The Guardian, Canada has deployed six fighter jets to Iraq and Syria. Around 70 Canadian soldiers will continue training Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.

The U.S.-led international coalition has been bombing Iraq and Syria since September 2014, largely targeting the Islamic State group and particularly in recent months Jabhat al-Nusra, the Syrian affiliate of al-Qaida. The outgoing Canadian government led by Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper had committed to remaining a part of that coalition until at least March 2016.