MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Canadian Defense Minister Rob Nicholson has stated that Canada will continue with the deployment of forces in Iraq.
"We continue to consult with our governmental partners to adapt our force protection measures to the evolving situation in order to protect our men and women in the Defence Team. Our deployments in support of the security forces in Iraq will continue unimpeded. Our men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces will continue to stand on guard, vigilant in their duty to protect Canada and Canadians," Robinson said in a statement published on Canada's Defense Ministry's website Thursday.
Nicholson also said that the Ottawa attack on Wednesday indicates that Canada "is not immune to threats to its safety and security".
"The Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence are active, supportive and collaborative partners with our colleagues in Public Safety Canada and provincial and municipal agencies. We support the Government of Canada's efforts to monitor domestic and foreign threats to protect Canadians," Nicholson added.
On Wednesday morning, a soldier guarding the National War Memorial in Ottawa was shot dead by an unidentified gunman.
Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, 32, was later arrested as a potential suspect in the shooting. Reportedly, he is of Algerian descent and was born in Canada.
The incident comes just two days after a member of the Canadian Armed Forces was killed in a car attack in the city of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu in Quebec.
An investigation is currently underway, with the previously imposed safety perimeter being lifted.
