Canadian soldiers have opened fire on Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq over the last week in what a general called an act of self-defense.
Brigadier General Michael Rouleau, commander of special operations command, said on January 19 that the soldiers were visiting front-line positions with Iraqi forces when they came under mortar and machine-gun fire.
The Canadians, whose job is to train and advise the Iraqi military in their battle against the Islamic State group, were at the front to help plan an Iraqi operation.
Rouleau says the Canadians used sniper fire and "neutralized" the enemy positions without taking any casualties.
