OTTAWA—Syria could be in the crosshairs as Canada extends and expands its military mission against Islamic State extremists.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper confirmed Wednesday that his government intends to continue the military campaign that began last fall to beat back advances by the extremists into large parts of Iraq and Syria.

Harper said the Conservatives will be seeking parliamentary endorsement to extend the six-month mission, now set to expire in early April.

The prime minister said more details about the new mission would be unveiled next week, including whether the bombing campaign by CF-18 fighter jets on Islamic State targets in Iraq will be extended to Syria.

“Next week it is the government’s plan to move forward with a request for Parliament for extension and expansion of the mission,” Harper said in Mississauga.

Canada has a small team of special forces soldiers in northern Iraq training local Iraqi and Kurdish fighters to battle the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS. As well, six CF-18s, backed by support aircraft, have been attacking targets in Iraq.

In unveiling in the air mission last October, Harper said Canadian warplanes would not attack targets in Syria without the “clear support” of that country.

Asked about that Wednesday, Harper would not rule out expanding the air mission to include Syria, where the extremists have been operating extensively.

“I will address those issues next week. Let me just say that the current authorization laid open the possibility of going to Syria, although we have not done that,” Harper said.

As of March 16, the CF-18 fighters had flown 412 sorties.

Government sources suggest the new mission will be longer, lasting at least nine months. That’s because a six-month extension would come due just as the federal election is underway in September and October.

The non-combat mandate will stay in place for the 69 Canadian soldiers now involved in training local fighters. But there could be changes to the missions being flown by the Canadian fighters.

“We’re seeing progress and feel there is more to do to counter the threat. Now’s not the time to let up,” one government official told the Star.

News of the extension is not a surprise and military planners have laid the groundwork to sustain the mission. Both Foreign Affairs Minister Rob Nicholson and Defence Minister Jason Kenney have been dropping hints that Canada would remain engaged.

Kenney told a defence conference last month that ISIS is a threat to Canadian security. “We think it’s a matter of national interest that we be there,” he said.

Both the Liberals and New Democrats opposed the military campaign last fall. On Wednesday, NDP MP Jack Harris, the party’s defence critic, said he wants the prime minister to detail “clear objectives” for the renewed mission.

As well, the party has been pushing for greater humanitarian aid to assist the civilians displaced by the violence, including the refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries like Turkey.

“We want a clear, well-defined goal, a realistic plan. Without that, we’re being plunged into a war that does not seem to have an end game,” Harris said in an interview.

University of Ottawa academic Roland Paris noted the non-combat mission by Canadian soldiers has stirred controversy with revelations that they have guided air strikes, accompanied local fighters to the front line and even exchanged gunfire with extremists.

“What we’ve seen over the last few months is the creeping expansion of the mission,” Paris said in an interview. “Our involvement in the ground war became much more extensive.”

He said the prime minister needs to lay out a “very clear case to Canadians” why the government is expanding the scope of the mission.

“I think personally that there is a very strong case for Canada to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight ISIS and take back their own country,” said Paris, the university research chair in international security and governance.

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“But I also think that we do not have an interest in doing the fighting for them,” Paris said.

Still, he cautioned that the timelines are “false reassurance,” saying that the actual timeframe for the mission “is likely to be many years.”

“Where is this all heading? That’s not clear. The situation in Syria is a total mess . . . . The situation in Iraq is getting even more complicated,” he said.

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