Canada to deploy up to 20 police officers to Iraq over two years

The Trudeau government has said that it will send up to 20 police officers to Iraq as part of its commitment to fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. At the end of June, Canada extended its military mission in Iraq for another two years. The police officers, both men and women, will support efforts to re-establish a local police presence in areas newly liberated from ISIL control and advise their Iraqi counterparts on issues such as gender, diversity and human rights.

There now are three Canadian police officers in Iraq, with a fourth going in the next month.

Others will be sent in gradually over the next two years.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland has said that the Canadian police will contribute to stability in the troubled country.