Canada and Kurds disagree over soldier's death in Iraq
Canadian and Kurdish officials on Sunday offered conflicting accounts of the death of a Canadian soldier in a friendly fighting incident in Iraq, with the Kurds saying he was on the front lines directing airstrikes and Canada's defense minister saying he had returned to an observation post further back.
The death of Sgt. Andrew Joseph Doiron on Friday marked Canada's first casualty as part of the US-led coalition's war on the extremist Islamic State group. Canada is actively debating whether to extend the combat mission, which is due to expire at the end of the month. Kurdish officials said Sunday that Doiron was killed after he and other Canadian soldiers showed up to the front line unannounced to call in airstrikes. But Canadian Defense Minister Jason Kenney said the Canadian soldiers had just returned to an observation post well behind the front line when they were mistakenly fired upon by Kurdish fighters.
