Canada will stop its bombing campaign against ISIS later this month, but will increase its training mission in Iraq while maintaining its refueling and surveillance flights for the coalition, the country’s prime minister announced Monday. All six of Canada’s jets deployed as part of the coalition will end airstrike operations by Feb. 22, reported the CBC. However, the country will triple the number of training forces in Iraq, and will maintain one CC-150 Polaris aerial refueling aircraft and two CP-140 Aurora surveillance aircraft, CBC reported. The country has also promised $840 million in humanitarian assistance for the coalition, and $270 million to “build local capacity” in Jordan and Lebanon. Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Monday the US is welcomes Canada’s increased training presence and its continued support for the air campaign, even though the US will be carrying even more of the combat burden.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.