The Canadian Armed Forces has joined its NATO allies in withdrawing army personnel from Iraq amid the continued Iran struggle, Defence Minister David McGuinty confirmed Friday.
NATO’s prime commander, Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, confirmed earlier Friday that the alliance has pulled a number of hundred personnel out of Iraq and relocated them to Europe. They have been a part of NATO’s safety advisory mission established in 2018 to advise Iraqi defence and safety officers.
“As a part of this adjustment, the Canadian Armed Forces personnel and Canadian civilians deployed with the NATO Mission Iraq have been relocated to a safe location and are protected and accounted for,” McGuinty stated in a press release offered by his workplace.
Grynkewich stated the mission will proceed its work from Joint Pressure Command Naples.
The transfer got here after a string of Iranian assaults on different troops at British, French and Italian bases in Iraq, as Tehran steps up its assaults on neghbouring Gulf Arab states in retaliation over U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that started three weeks in the past.
Assaults on Gulf power infrastructure have elevated after Israel bombed Iran’s huge South Pars offshore pure gasoline discipline earlier this week. Kuwait and Bahrain reported new strikes on Friday.
Late Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that his administration was contemplating “winding down” army operations within the Center East.
Trump stated in his Reality Social submit that the U.S. was “getting very near assembly our targets” for the struggle, together with degrading Iran’s army, naval, missile and nuclear capabilities.
Nonetheless, Reuters and the Related Press reported Friday that the U.S. was sending 2,500 extra Marines to the Center East, together with no less than one amphibious assault ship. The studies cited U.S. officers who spoke on the situation of anonymity, and World Information has not independently verified the extra deployments.
Get breaking Nationwide information
Get breaking Canada information delivered to your inbox because it occurs so you will not miss a trending story.
The Trump administration has additionally requested one other US$200 billion from Congress to fund the struggle.
Trump’s assertion additionally left a muddled image of whether or not the U.S. would police the very important Strait of Hormuz transport lane. Trump had stated this week that the U.S. didn’t need assistance, whereas additionally complaining that different international locations didn’t assist.
“The Hormuz Strait should be guarded and policed, as mandatory, by different Nations who use it — The US doesn’t!” he wrote.
“If requested, we’ll assist these Nations of their Hormuz efforts, but it surely shouldn’t be mandatory as soon as Iran’s menace is eradicated. Importantly, it is going to be a simple Navy Operation for them.”
Earlier Friday, Trump wrote on social media that NATO allies have been “COWARDS” for beforehand refusing his requires assist in the Strait, including the U.S. “will REMEMBER!”
Canada on Thursday joined the UK, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Japan in a press release saying they have been prepared to “contribute to applicable efforts” to making sure protected passage via the Strait of Hormuz.
The nations didn’t say what particular motion is likely to be taken.
McGuinty has left the door open for the Canadian army to assist neighbouring international locations defend themselves from Iranian assaults, in the event that they search help from the NATO alliance.
Overseas Affairs Minister Anita Anand’s workplace stated Friday that any potential assist from Canada can be guided by native wants, in addition to Canada’s legal guidelines and insurance policies, and consultations with companions and allies.
Her spokesperson stated Canada remains to be targeted on diplomacy to decrease tensions, and to cease assaults by all gamers on power infrastructure.
The Canadian Armed Forces has had no involvement in any respect within the present struggle and no Canadian army members have been concerned in its planning, the Division of Nationwide Defence says.
The division stated that, primarily based on numbers from March 5, the Canadian Armed Forces has roughly 200 personnel deployed throughout the Center East in six separate operations.
Some army members have been relocated inside the area or redeployed again to Canada. The division says it is not going to disclose extra detailed personnel numbers at particular places for safety causes.
The division additionally confirms that just about three dozen Canadian army members on an change with a division of the U.S. air drive weren’t deployed to the Persian Gulf area.
The division stated 35 Canadian Armed Forces members are presently serving in some capability with the 552nd Air Management Wing’s Canadian Detachment, however haven’t left the U.S. for operations within the Gulf.
The American wing, primarily based out of the Tinker Air Pressure Base in Oklahoma, has deployed six Boeing E-3G Sentry AWACS surveillance plane to an airbase in Saudi Arabia.
—with information from the Canadian Press and the Related Press
© 2026 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.
