TORONTO, Oct. 21 (UPI) — Canada’s newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau reasserted his intent to Canadian airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria by taking a different approach.
Trudeau, 43, became Canada’s prime minister-elect Monday after his Liberal Party won 184 seats in the nation’s parliament — ending the 10-year rule of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
On Tuesday, Trudeau said Canada would remain “a strong member of the coalition” but would rather “engage in a responsible way.” A time frame for when Canada’s airstrikes would end has not been revealed.
He and his Liberal Party want to increase humanitarian aid in Iraq and Syria — countries facing the dangerous threat of the IS — also identified as Daesh, ISIS and ISIL. The Canadian military would also participate in training rather than bombing missions.
As of early October, the U.S.-led coalition against the IS carried out more than 7,000 airstrikes — nearly two-thirds of them in Iraq and the United States conducted nearly 80 percent of them.
Trudeau said he and U.S. President Barack Obama conversed on the issue during a recent telephone call.
“He understands the commitments I’ve made around ending the combat mission,” Trudeau told reporters.
The White House said Obama congratulated Trudeau for winning the Canadian election during the call, but the administration’s statement on the conversation did not address Trudeau’s intent to pull out of airstrike efforts.
“The two leaders agreed on the importance of deepening the already strong United States-Canada relationship and committed to strengthening the countries’ joint efforts to promote trade, combat terrorism, and mitigate climate change,” the White House said in a statement.
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