File photo — U.S. air force members stand under the wing of an E-3 Sentry-AWACS aircraft at Tinker Air Force base near Oklahoma City, Friday, June 29, 2007. (AP Photo)

By The Canadian Press

Canadian military personnel leave Iraq with NATO allies amid Iran war

Mar 20, 2026 | 12:01 PM

OTTAWA — Canadian Armed Forces members are among the NATO personnel who have left Iraq as the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran drags on.

The alliance said Friday it has safely relocated to Europe the last of its personnel from Mission Iraq, a non-combat advisory operation.

Defence Minister David McGuinty confirms that Canadian military members and civilians taking part in the mission have been relocated to a secure location and are all safe.

“As we continue to monitor the situation in the region, we call on all states to respect international law and uphold the fundamental principles of international prosperity and security,” McGuinty said in a written statement.

“Canada remains committed to supporting international peace and stability in coordination with our partners and NATO allies.”

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The NATO mission, tasked with building up the country’s security organizations to counter the Islamic State group since 2018, will continue its work from Joint Force Command Naples.

“I would like to thank the Republic of Iraq and all the Allies who assisted in the safe relocation of NATO personnel from Iraq,” Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, the alliance’s supreme allied commander for Europe, said in a media statement.

The Canadian Armed Forces has had no involvement at all in the current war and no Canadian military members were involved in its planning, the Department of National Defence says.

The department said that, based on numbers from March 5, the Canadian Armed Forces has roughly 200 personnel deployed across the Middle East in six separate operations.

Some military members have been relocated within the region or redeployed back to Canada. The department says it will not disclose more detailed personnel numbers at specific locations for security reasons.

The department also confirms that nearly three dozen Canadian military members on an exchange with a division of the U.S. air force were not deployed to the Persian Gulf region.

The department said 35 Canadian Armed Forces members are currently serving in some capacity with the 552nd Air Control Wing’s Canadian Detachment, but have not left the U.S. for operations in the Gulf.

The American wing, based out of the Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, has deployed six Boeing E-3G Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft to an airbase in Saudi Arabia.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press