Canada hits the brakes on military operations in Iraq

Canada has announced it will pause its military operations in Iraq, stressing that necessary measures to protect forces have been taken in the fallout of the killing of Qassem Soleimani.

The country's defence chief Gen. Jonathan Vance made the announcement, in a letter that was tweeted by the Canadian military.

"The situation in Iraq is complex and it is best to pause our work there in order to fully concentrate our attention and efforts towards the safety and security of our personnel while the situation develops," Vance wrote. "Simply put, we're doing this to ensure their safety and security."

A letter from General Jonathan Vance, Chief of the Defence Staff, to Canadians about our deployed personnel in the Middle East. #OpIMPACT pic.twitter.com/Y0IdmZdo9f
— Canadian Armed Forces (@CanadianForces) January 7, 2020

Vance said that Canadian operations in both the NATO training mission and the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group have both been suspended.

Canada currently has 500 troops deployed in Iraq, and they will be moved to neighbouring Kuwait, according to the general.