Kanadischer Soldat durch ‚friendly fire‘ im Nordirak getötet

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Beim Einsatz als Ausbilder für den Kampf gegen die islamistischen ISIS-Milizen im Nordirak ist ein kanadischer Soldat irrtürmlich von kurdischen Peshmerga-Kämpfern getötet worden. Drei weitere Kanadier wurden verwundet. Aus der Mitteilung des kanadischen Verteidigungsministeriums vom (heutigen) Samstag:

Canadian Armed Forces member killed by friendly fire in Iraq
OTTAWA—A Canadian Armed Forces soldier was killed yesterday, March 6th, 2015 in Iraq at approximately 3:50 p.m. local Ottawa time in a friendly fire incident when members of the Special Operations Forces were mistakenly engaged by Iraqi Kurdish forces following their return to an observation post behind the front lines.
Killed in action was Sergeant Andrew Joseph Doiron, from the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, based at Garrison Petawawa, Ontario.

Three other members were injured in the incident and are receiving medical care for their injuries.
Our thoughts are with the families and friends of our fallen soldier and the injured members during this difficult time. We will not forget the sacrifice of this soldier as we continue on our mission to help advise and assist the Iraqi Security Forces in their fight against the so-called Islamic State (ISIL).
Quick Facts
Members of CANSOFCOM are in Iraq to participate in Op IMPACT, the Canadian government’s efforts to provide assistance to Iraqi forces as they face threats posed by the extremist militant group ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant).
Operation IMPACT is the CAF’s contribution to the Middle East Stabilization Force (MESF), the international coalition assisting security forces in the Republic of Iraq who are fighting against ISIL.
CANSOFCOM’s role in Op IMPACT, with the support of other Canadian Armed Forces elements, is to provide military advice and assistance.
Approximately 600 personnel, including aircrew support elements such as command, control and logistics are participating in Op IMPACT. This includes 69 members of the Canadian Special Operations Forces Command already working in an advisory and assistance role by providing strategic and tactical advice to Iraqi security forces.

Interessanter Fakt am Rande: Dabei lese ich zum ersten Mal den Begriff Middle East Stabilization Force (MESF), the international coalition assisting security forces in the Republic of Iraq who are fighting against ISIL. Nach meiner Erinnerung wurde der bisher so nicht verwendet; vielleicht ist es auch eine kanadische Besonderheit.

Zur Ergänzung: Die Bundeswehr beteiligt sich mit derzeit knapp 30 Soldaten an einer Ausbildungsmission im Nordirak; nach dem Mandat dürfen es bis zu 100 Soldaten werden. Im Unterschied zu den Kanadiern soll ihre Tätigkeit aber auf das Ausbildungszentrum in Bnaslawa (Binaslawa) und das Koordinierungszentrum in Erbil beschränkt bleiben. Mitte Februar haben die Deutschen zusammen mit niederländischen und britischen Soldaten die infanteristische Grundlagenausbildung von Peshmerga-Kämpfern in Bnaslawa begonnen.

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Nachtrag: Die Kanadier stellen die Darstellung des Vorfalls durch die Kurden infrage:

Defence Minister Jason Kenney is maintaining that Canadian soldiers were well behind the front lines in Iraq when a sergeant was shot and killed in “friendly fire” incident Friday, despite contradicting reports from Kurdish forces. (…)
“They weren’t on the front lines,“ said Kenney.
“My understanding is that the observation post where the troops were approaching — at about 11 p.m. on Friday night, close to Irbil — was about 200 metres behind the fort line of our troops, so 200 metres from the front.

(Archivbild: Kanadische Soldaten der Operation Impact bei einer Evakuierungsübung in Kuwait im Februar 2015 – Caméra de combat des Forces canadiennes; Karte: OpenStreetMap)