Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a surprise visit to Iraq on Saturday, pledging to continue Canada’s support for the battle against the Islamic State group as bombings across the country killed at least 30 people.
The Canadian government has announced US$139 million in additional aid to address the refugee crisis in the region caused by the fighting, in addition to the US$67 million already committed to Iraq.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi received Harper in Baghdad.
Photo: Reuters
Canada is part of the US-led international coalition supporting the Iraqi military with airstrikes and training.
“Canada will not stand idly by while ISIS threatens Canadians and commits barbaric acts of violence and injustice in Iraq against innocent civilians,” Harper said in a statement, referring to the group formerly known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant by an alternate acronym.
Al-Abadi hailed Canada’s role in that coalition as “essential” and called on the international community to join forces against the extremist threat, as “terrorism is not only threatening Iraq, but the region and the whole world.”
Meanwhile, a suicide car bombing followed by another car bombing minutes later in Baghdad’s popular Karrada neighborhood killed at least 17 people, police said. The bombs struck as restaurants and coffee shops were full of patrons, they said.
In eastern Diyala Governorate, a roadside bomb killed five women and two children traveling in a minibus, police said.
Islamic State fighters were largely driven out of the eastern province earlier this year, but still plant roadside bombs.
In Anbar Governorate, three soldiers and three militia members were killed and nine were wounded when a suicide car bomber drove an explosive-rigged Humvee into their headquarters in the town of Garma, a police officer said.
Medical officials confirmed the casualty figures. All spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were not authorized to release the information.
The killings came as the UN mission in Iraq reported that 812 Iraqis, including 277 members of security forces and militias, were killed last month.
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