Revenge at play in Canada’s Iraq mission? Air force commander deletes tweet

OTTAWA – The commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force appears to be injecting a new element into the rationale for Canada joining the international air war in Iraq: revenge.

A photograph was posted to Lt.-Gen. Yvan Blondin’s Twitter account Saturday that appears to be from the funeral of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, killed in October by a known jihadist.

IN PHOTOS: Funeral for fallen soldier Patrice Vincent

Along with the photo, Blondin wrote:

“Dear ISIL, thinking of you. Some of my colleagues are in your area. Hopefully, they’ll have a chance to drop by.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Dear <a href="http://globalnews.ca/tag/islamic-state/">ISIL</a>, thinking of you. Some of my colleagues are in your area. Hopefully, they'll have a chance to drop by."

The tweet was deleted Monday afternoon.

On Sunday, two CF-18 jet fighters dropped laser-guided bombs in the vicinity of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, the first such Canadian activity in Iraq since the airstrikes were authorized.

Details on the intended targets and the effectiveness of the strikes were expected at a briefing scheduled for Tuesday.