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OTTAWA — Canadian warplanes have bombed their first targets in Syria, Defence Minister Jason Kenney announced online late Wednesday.

The milestone event came out via the minister’s Twitter account and even seemed to get out ahead of the military, which had not posted news of the strike on its website before it hit social media.

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Kenney says on Twitter that two CF-18s struck an ISIL garrison in Ar-Raqqah, which is about 160 kilometres east of the embattled city of Aleppo.

Today's @RCAF_ARC / coalition air strike hit an ISIL garrison near Ar Raqqah. Canada is helping to ensure that ISIL has no safe haven. —

Jason Kenney ن (@jkenney) April 08, 2015

It is nominally considered the capital of the extremist organization known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and has been on the receiving end of American air strikes in the past.

Kenney provided no other details, other than to say Canada’s role in Syria is to help ensure the group has no safe haven.