A by-the-numbers look at Canada and the anti-ISIL bombing campaign
OTTAWA — Although the Liberal government withdrew Canada’s CF-18s from Iraq and Syria in the spring, two Aurora surveillance planes and a Polaris refuelling aircraft have continued to participate in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Here are some key numbers for the campaign:
2,458: Sorties, or individual missions, flown by Canadian military aircraft against ISIL since October 2014.
1,378: Sorties flown by CF-18s before Canadian bombing missions were suspended in February.
575: Reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions flown by the Auroras.
544: Refuelling sorties flown by the Polaris.
14,227: Tonnes of fuel delivered by the Polaris to allied aircraft.
14,741: Airstrikes conducted by U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.
9,709: Airstrikes in Iraq.
5,032: Airstrikes in Syria.
1,592: Minimum number of civilian casualties caused by coalition airstrikes, as estimated by monitor Airwars.org .
— Source: Department of National Defence; U.S. Department of Defense; Airwars.org
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