U.S. expects Canada to outline its role in fighting Islamic State

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday, January 29, he expects Canada to announce in the coming weeks what role it will play in an international coalition fighting Islamic State forces in Syria and Iraq, Reuters reports.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who won an election last October promising to withdraw six fighter jets from a U.S.-led coalition attacking the militants, has yet to state what Canada plans to do once those planes are pulled out.

"I am absolutely confident that the prime minister and his security team are working on ways to continue their significant contribution" to the coalition, Kerry told reporters after meeting his Canadian and Mexican counterparts in Quebec City.

"While they may have made a choice with respect to one particular component of that effort, that does not reflect on their overall commitment and capacity to contribute significantly to the road ahead, and we are confident they will," Kerry said.

Kerry added, "I look forward in the next weeks to the prime minister's notification to us of what the plan going forward will be."

Stephane Dion, Canada's foreign minister, said Canada was exploring other ways it could contribute to the coalition.

"We have received a number of requests, in particular from our American friends, and this helps us better understand how we can deploy our efforts," Dion said.