Thursday, October 20, 2005

Canadians in Iraq on both sides

Wow, now here's a story: Canadians taking part in Iraqi insurgency:
The head of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) says Canadians have joined the insurgency in Iraq. James Judd, the director of CSIS, revealed Thursday evening that some of the foreign fighters in Iraq battling coalition troops are Canadians. He said there aren't many, but more are expected to join. Speaking to reporters at a break during a security conference in Montreal, Judd was asked if Canadians were in Iraq fighting against the American-led coalition. 'Yes, I believe so,' he said. He said there weren't many, 'we're talking single digit numbers.' But he said 'we're aware of several others who are contemplating leaving.' . . . the Prime Minister's Office was 'flabbergasted' that such sensitive information could be released by the head of the spy agency. 'They didn't know it was being spoken about publicly and for that they [the PMO] are very angry.' . . . Acknowledgment that Canadians are fighting in Iraq raises a number of questions, such as what will their status be if they decide to return to Canada. "It raises the longer-term question of what do they bode for the future?" Judd said.

Single digits, of course, means fewer than ten. But still, its a potential mess, isn't it. There are also some Canadians fighting with the Americans in Iraq.
So what happens when they meet up?

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