Iraqi authorities detained a Canadian military aircraft for three days in Baghdad two weeks ago because of problems with its cargo.
The Department of National Defence confirmed in an emailed statement that a CC-130 Hercules was denied onward movement to the Iraqi-Kurdish capital Erbil by government authorities at the Baghdad International Airport on Oct. 28.
The aircraft was flying in support of Operation Impact, the Canadian Forces’ operation against ISIS, and was eventually allowed to return to Kuwait on Oct. 31.
Citing security reasons, National Defence didn’t provide many details on the cargo, saying only that it was an “issue with customs documentation.” They also didn’t say what the cargo was, other than that it came from Canada.
But several news reports suggested the aircraft may have been carrying banned weapons.
A Kurdish news station reported that Iraqi authorities discovered eight MP4 weapons with silencers on board the Canadian aircraft, and, separately, found weapons on board a Swedish aircraft also destined for Kurdistan.
Hakim al-Zamili, the head of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defence committee, told NRT the coalition forces claimed that the weapons were for their own use. An Ottawa Citizen report says that the Iraqi government tries to strictly control the weapons imported into Kurdistan.
The Canadian government says none of the plane’s equipment or cargo was confiscated.
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