Canadian defence minister visits iraq war

OTTAWA — Canada will respect any decision by the Iraqi government to expel foreign troops from the country, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Friday, even as reports suggested the United States was considering sanctions and cuts to military aid should Baghdad give American forces the boot.

Speaking to reporters by phone during a visit to the Middle East, where he met with some of the hundreds of Canadian troops participating in the five-year fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Sajjan said Canada wants to continue its military training efforts in Iraq.

Yet the minister, whose visit included stops in Jordan and Kuwait, acknowledged that “obviously the Iraqi government has concerns” and that western allies are “listening to those concerns” and trying to address them through talks.

However, he added: ̶