The government of Canada has decided to halt military assistance to Baghdad and Hewlêr, which continued since 2014, due to tensions between the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces.

The Canadian cooperation with Iraqi and Kurdish forces will resume only when "clarity exists regarding the inter-relationships of Iraqi security forces, and the key priorities and tasks going forward," said Dan Le Bouthillier, a spokesman for Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan.

Following the ISIS onslaught on the region in 2014, the Canadian government had decided and started to provide military assistance to Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Around 250 Canadian soldiers have been serving in the anti-ISIS coalition in Iraq and KRG for three years since.