Canadian warplanes have flown their first operational flights, but have yet to carry out strike missions.
Six CF-18 jet fighters and two CP-140 Aurora surveillance patrol planes are operating out of undisclosed airfields in Kuwait and will launch bombing missions against the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) soon.
The aircraft receive their strike orders and targets from the U.S.-led coalition and join aircraft from a number of different countries, including the U.S., Britain, Australia and several Gulf States.
The jets will be bombing military targets, such as command centres, vehicles and artillery, most of which is U.S-made hardware that ISIS fighters seized from fleeing Iraqi army forces earlier this summer.
Word of the missions comes from a series of defence sources because the Canadian military has not allowed media access to the airfields, citing security concerns of their Kuwaiti hosts.
A number of fresh reports are circulating that coalition jets could face an increased anti-aircraft threat as Islamic State fighters are now apparently armed with Chinese shoulder-launched missiles.
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