Sign up for the battlefordsNOW newsletter

A by-the-numbers look at Canada and the anti-ISIL bombing campaign

Sep 6, 2016 | 2:30 PM

OTTAWA — Although the Liberal government withdrew Canada’s CF-18s from Iraq and Syria in the spring, two Aurora surveillance planes and a Polaris refuelling aircraft have continued to participate in the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Here are some key numbers for the campaign:

2,458: Sorties, or individual missions, flown by Canadian military aircraft against ISIL since October 2014.

1,378: Sorties flown by CF-18s before Canadian bombing missions were suspended in February.

575: Reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering missions flown by the Auroras.

544: Refuelling sorties flown by the Polaris.

14,227: Tonnes of fuel delivered by the Polaris to allied aircraft.

14,741: Airstrikes conducted by U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria since August 2014.

9,709: Airstrikes in Iraq.

5,032: Airstrikes in Syria.

1,592: Minimum number of civilian casualties caused by coalition airstrikes, as estimated by monitor Airwars.org .

— Source: Department of National Defence; U.S. Department of Defense; Airwars.org

The Canadian Press

©2016 The Canadian Press