Obama and Val Jar are taking credit.
Canadian special forces in northern Iraq have been helping Kurdish peshmerga fighters by directing coalition airstrikes against Islamic State extremists — work generally considered risky because it means they are close to the battle against the group.
The Canadians’ efforts complement those of the United States, which has conducted the vast majority of the airstrikes against the Islamic State group. But in their new role, the Canadians are performing a task that so far the U.S. has been unwilling to do.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has repeatedly said the U.S. would consider directing attacks from the ground but that it has not done so.
Brig. Gen. Mike Rouleau, the commander of Canadian special forces, said his soldiers have directed 13 strikes.
Canada has 69 special forces soldiers in Iraq in what the Canadian government has called an advising and training role. Rouleau said they do about 80 percent of their training and advising well behind the front lines and about 20 percent right at the front lines.