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Canada is in discussions with Iraq to send what may be called a military advisory team to work with key Iraqi ministries, a senior military source says.

In a separate development that indicates Canada’s bigger Iraqi training mission may be more dangerous than its current bombing operation against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, due to end Feb 22, the military has confirmed Canada will deploy four Royal Canadian Air Force Griffon helicopters to northern Iraq to help the growing number of Canadian army trainers; it will also send military clinicians to an Australian-led hospital there.

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If Baghdad gives the green light, the MAT may be similar to the strategic advisory team the Martin and Harper governments deployed for several years in Afghanistan. This SAT, which was always led by a Canadian colonel, was the brainchild of then-chief of defence, Gen. Rick Hillier.

Although there were never more than than several dozen Canadian soldiers and civilians on the SAT at a time, they played an influential role in shaping how the Afghan government established priorities, and built better governing and accounting practices.