Newfoundland veteran under arrest in northern Iraq: published report

The mother of a former Canadian soldier says she believes he has been arrested in northern Iraq while taking part in what she called a humanitarian mission.

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Kay Kennedy of St. Vincent’s, N.L., told radio station VOCM that she was speaking with her son Mike on Tuesday evening, when she realized something was wrong.

“He wasn’t his upbeat self,” she told VOCM. “He was very abrupt in his answers to me. Then, all of a sudden, he said, ‘Mum, I gotta go.”‘

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "He wasn't his upbeat self," she told VOCM. "He was very abrupt in his answers to me. Then, all of a sudden, he said, 'Mum, I gotta go."'

The woman told VOCM she hasn’t heard from her son since then, but she said a friend of his later confirmed via text message from northern Iraq that her son had been arrested after returning from a mission in northern Syria.

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Kennedy told the radio station she believes there was a problem with some documents, suggesting some had expired.

She said she was sure her son’s visa was good until January.

On April 8, 2007, Kennedy’s son Kevin was one of six Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan when their light armoured vehicle struck a roadside bomb. The six were all members of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment based at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick.

“It’s not easy, especially after losing a son in 2007 in Afghanistan,” Kennedy said. “I haven’t been sleeping, just pacing the floors. I’m strong. I’m not falling apart … I’m doing what I got to do to get my son out of there.”

Canadian Embassy officials had made contact with Mike Kennedy and were trying to win his release, federal cabinet minister Judy Foote told VOCM.

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Global Affairs Canada told The Canadian Press it was aware of a Canadian citizen being detained in Iraq, and spokeswoman Kristine Racicot confirmed in an email that Canadian officials are providing consular assistance and are in contact with local authorities.

However, Racicot said she could not disclose more details because of privacy considerations.

Racicot said Global Affairs Canada is advising against all non-essential travel to Iraq, including the provinces under the control of the Kurdistan regional government in northern Iraq. The department said the security situation in the towns of Dahuk, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah “could deteriorate quickly.”

“All Canadians who travel to Syria and Iraq must do so at their own personal risk,” the email said. “Due to the unpredictable security situation, providing consular assistance in all parts of Iraq and Syria is severely limited.”