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OTTAWA — Canada’s top soldier has decided special forces troops in Iraq will continue to wear the Kurdish flag on their uniforms in addition to the Maple Leaf, despite questions about the practice.

National Defence says Gen. Jonathan Vance recently approved the flag patches in part to show solidarity with “a region facing existential threats,” but that they should not be construed as support for an independent Iraqi Kurdistan.

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That may be wishful thinking, say experts, one of whom compared it to a foreign military force wearing the Quebec flag in Canada.

The flag is in no way a symbol of Canadian support for political disunity in Iraq.

The Kurds’ distinctive red, white and green flag with a sun emblem has been on the Canadian soldiers’ uniforms since they arrived in northern Iraq to help the Kurdish peshmerga fight ISIL in 2014.

The practice wasn’t publicly known until Vance led a group of Canadian journalists on a tour of the mission in April. At the time, Canada had several dozen special forces operatives in the region, though the Trudeau government is expanding the contingent to 200.