Not considering special forces into Yemen

The federal government is not considering sending Canadian fighter jets or special forces into Yemen, Libya or sub-Saharan Africa, the prime minister said , amid questions about mission creep as Canada’s fight against Islamic State militants is set to expand.

Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper  about the framing of the motion, suggesting it appears to leave the door open for battling militant groups other than ISIS, in countries other than Iraq and Syria.“Is the prime minister considering sending our bombers or special forces into Yemen or Libya or against Boko Haram in Sub-Saharan Africa?” said Trudeau. “The answer is no, we are not,” Harper responded.“Where we face an organization — as we do today in Iraq and Syria — that are establishing caliphates, large territorial areas from which they are threatening to launch terrorist attacks against this country, Canada will work with our allies in every single case where that occurs.”

NDP Leader Thomas Mulcair said expanding the mission into Syria would mean Canada is helping Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, who is accused by the international community of committing atrocities against his own people.“I find it shameful that Canada should in any way, shape or form be putting our brave women and men in uniform at the beck and call of someone like Assad,” Mulcair told reporters. “Helping Assad is shameful and we should not be doing it.”