Canada to join anti-Islamic State air strikes

Canada plans to join the US-led campaign of air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq, its government has said.

A motion authorising the mission is expected to pass on Monday in the House of Commons.
The six-month mission will include CF-18 fighter jets and refuelling and surveillance aircraft, but not ground troops.
PM Stephen Harper said it was intended to "significantly degrade" IS.
Canada has more than two dozen military advisers already in Iraq.
The US has undertaken its own air strike campaign in Iraq for several weeks and in Syria for a shorter amount of time.
Canada's opposition parties have pressed Mr Harper to be more transparent about the plans.
The plan put forward in parliament by Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird asks Canadian lawmakers to "recognise that the leadership of the terrorist group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has called on its members to target Canada and Canadians at home and abroad".