Kenney's claims about Canada's smart bombs questioned (with video)
Defence Minister Jason Kenney says Canada needs to join the Syrian bombing campaign because it and the United States are the only members of the coalition who have the smart bombs needed for such air strikes.
But Kenney’s claim is being challenged by critics, and statements from U.S. officials raise questions about its accuracy.
Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, part of the current five-country U.S.-led coalition bombing targets in Syria, have smart weapons and have already used them against Islamic extremists.
Last fall, Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the Arab nations for their role in the bombing campaign and highlighted their use of precision-guided munitions in Syria.
These nations “are performing just as well as we are on the issue of precision and reducing the possibility of collateral damage,” Dempsey said.
Fighter jets from Saudi Arabia and the UAE are equipped with the same or similar U.S. smart bombs that Canada has acquired.
The Saudis bought their bombs in 2008 as part of a $20-billion arms deal with the U.S.
In addition to its stocks of U.S. smart bombs, the UAE also spent $500 million in 2013 to buy South African-made precision-guided munitions for its fighter jets. In addition, it signed a deal to manufacture the smart bombs in the UAE.
Kenney made the claims about the smart bombs to a number of media outlets Wednesday.
“There are only five coalition partners doing air strikes against ISIL terror targets in eastern Syria,” the minister explained to CTV. “The United States is the only one of those five that has precision-guided munitions. That is a capability the Royal Canadian Air Force has, so one of the reasons our allies have requested we expand our air sorties into eastern Syria is because with those precision-guided munitions our CF-18s carry, we can be more impactful in the strikes we make against ISIL.”
READ MORE: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/politics/kenneys-claims-about-canadas-smart-bombs-questioned
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