Canada 's Harper lied about ground combat in Iraq; ( VIDEO)

                                                                                                                                                                        OTTAWA"

Canada's qpposition leader accused Prime Minister

Stephen Harper of having lied when he promised

no ground combat alongside airstrikes against the

Islamic State group in Iraq.

The accusation comes after Canadian special forces

exchanged gunfire with Islamic State fighters in the

Mideast country in recent days,in the first confirmed

ground battle between Western troop and Is.

The Canadian came under mortar and machine gun

fire while training  Iraq troop near front lines and   

shot back in what Canadian special forces commander

Brigadier General Michael Roul eau described as self-

defense,killing the IS fighters.No Canadian were  

injured in the clash.

Harper's spokesman ,Jason MacDonald,was  

unapologetic,telling AFP that the "international 

jihadist  movement has declared war on Canada

and its allies.

Harper had asked parliament in September to

support joining the international coalition  

launching air strikes on the Islamic State group.

Both the opposition New Democratis and Liberals

voted against the mission in the house of Commons.

saying they feared it  could become a  quagmire.

But Harper's Conservative majority carried the

vote in favor of a six months mission,while ruling

out sending ground combat troops.

Sixty nine special forces were also tasked with

training Iraqi troops.

Rouleau  told a media briefing  on Monday that

special forces have also targets in Iraq

for coalition aircrafts to strike......... AFP.