The Canadians are authorized to return fire without approval from a JAG attorney.
Via The Star Com
Canadian special forces soldiers in Iraq have twice more exchanged fire with extremist fighters as they step up their exposure to front-line action.
At a briefing Monday morning, navy Capt. Paul Forget revealed that Canadian troops came under attack twice in the last week as they scouted front-line positions with local fighters.
“In both cases, Canadian special operations forces, again acting in self-defence, effectively returned fire, neutralizing the threat,” Forget told reporters.
Forget said the circumstances were similar to an incident disclosed last week. At the time, the soldiers were examining the local terrain “near the front line” when they came under fire. Forget said the soldiers only returned fire in self-defence and he said there were no injuries to Canadian personnel.
Forget said the incidents mark an evolution — not an escalation — of Canada’s ground mission in Iraq.
And he suggested there could be more firefights because the changing nature of the training mission.
In the early days, Canadian soldiers were teaching the Iraqi security forces the basics of warfare. But as they gained fighting skills, Forget said soldiers are teaching the local troops tactical battlefield techniques.