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Kurdish officials have been told that the U.S.-led coalition will continue to provide training to Peshmerga forces as well as equipment throughout 2018.

Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Peshmerga Ministry, Major General Qaraman Sheikh Kamal, told BasNews that the Coalition members which have been delivering military training to the Peshmerga forces in four camps in the Kurdistan Region will continue their mission till the end of 2018. The coalition has also pledged $364 million U.S., with most of that expected to come from the Pentagon.

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The coalition had stepped back from training briefly after clashes between Kurdish and Iraqi forces in the aftermath of the Kurd’s declaration to separate from Iraq. That situation is still tense but fighting has stopped for now.

Canadian special forces suspended training for Kurdish troops when the battles between Kurds and Iraqis broke out. That situation has not changed.

“Given the fluidity of the current situation, Canada’s Special Operations Task Force temporarily suspension of the provision of assistance to various elements of Iraqi security forces continues,” noted Department of National Defence spokesman Daniel Le Bouthillier.

What exactly are Canadian special forces doing in Iraq now that the training mission is on hold and the Islamic State has pretty much retreated?

“In the interim, they will continue to monitor the situation and plan for the next potential phases of operational activity,” Le Bouthillier said.