WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Canada is watching Russia’s military operation in Syria against the Islamic State launched by Moscow on Wednesday, spokesperson for Canada's foreign affairs department Rachna Mishra told Sputnik on Thursday.
"We continue to closely monitor the situation in Syria, including Russian actions, and remain concerned with Russian motives in the region," Mishra stated.
Russia launched its first precision airstrikes on ISIL positions in Syria on Wednesday at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad and with the coordination of the Baghdad Information Center comprising the resources of Russia, Iran, Iraq and Syria.
Mishra noted that all coordination of Canadian military efforts to combat the ISIL are done through the Global Coalition, "of which Russia is not a member."
"Canada is a leader in international efforts to degrade and defeat ISIS [Islamic State], and demonstrates this leadership by actively contributing to the Global Coalition to counter ISIS through both military and non-military efforts," the spokesperson added.
A US-led coalition against the Islamic State, consisting of 62 nations, has been conducting airstrikes in Syria since September 2014, albeit without UN Security Council authorization or approval by the Syrian government.
