Tories slam Liberals for not disclosing strike on Kuwait military base – National

Conservative defence critic James Bezan says it’s “really shameful” the federal government did not tell the public that an airbase in Kuwait, where the Canadian Armed Forces have a camp, was hit by an Iranian missile attack on March 1.

The newspaper La Presse reported today that the Canadian camp at the Ali Al-salem Air Base appeared to be damaged by the attack, although no Canadian military members were injured.

Canada has an operational support hub at the airbase, which also hosts the United States Air Force.

Bezan says Ottawa has been “way too secretive” about the war while allies hold daily briefings.

The Department of National Defence, which took a week to respond to a question about the base, says it will not disclose information about military facilities for “operational security reasons.”

“We are aware of reports of strikes in the vicinity of Ali Al-salem Air Base,” the statement said, without answering questions about when it occurred, the extent of the damage or a possible response.

“Based on events since Feb. 27, efforts have focused on the force protection of Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members, including relocating some within the region, staying in their location if force protection is appropriate, and where applicable, redeploying some back to Canada. All CAF personnel in the region are currently safe and accounted for.

The Liberal government called a take-note debate in Parliament on Monday night on the Iran war, but did not mention the attack.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters in Yellowknife on Thursday that Canadian military service members are “safe and sound,” but did not otherwise comment on the attack.

“We are not engaged in these actions of the U.S. and Israel, we’re not engaged in offensive actions, and we will not be engaged in those actions,” he said.

—With additional files from Global News

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