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Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan says he soon hopes to have a better idea of the future direction of Canada’s mission in Iraq after of the defeat of the Islamic extremists that had taken control of part of the country.

Both the U.S. and Iraq have declared that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has been defeated.

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Sajjan said the war against ISIL has gone well and ahead of the schedule the coalition set out. “We’re victims of our success,” he told reporters in a conference call Wednesday after a visit to Jordan, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Photo by Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press

The leadership of the Canadian Forces is developing options for new roles for the military personnel deployed in Iraq, and Sajjan said he expects that advice sometime in the new year. But more work needs to be done to solidify the situation in Iraq and ensure there is no ISIL resurgence, he said.

The Liberal government had extended Canada’s mission in Iraq until at least March 2019. Other nations involved in the anti-ISIL coalition, such as Australia — which has committed forces until mid-2018 — are discussing their future plans with allies and with the Iraqi government.