According to the Middle East Eye (MEE), Ottawa had planned to ship $7 million in lethal aid to Erbil, but it has been blocked by the Iraqi central government over concerns that it will be used by Kurdish forces to bolster the Kurdish push for independence.

All training efforts of the Kurdish and Iraqi forces by the Canadians have also been suspended following fighting between the two sides following the independence referendum. One hundred members of the Canadian Armed Forces remain in country, the CBC reported.

Patricia Brunelle, a public affairs officer at Canada’s Department of National Defence, said the “dynamic” nature of what is happening in Iraq “requires deliberate, responsible reflection” about the arms shipment, reported MEE.

The shipment consists of $7.5m of so-called lethal aid and $12.2m of non-lethal aid, she said. The military equipment remains in Canada.

“We need a clear articulation of a rationale for the further use of these weapons in Iraq and we haven’t heard that,” said Peggy Mason, president of the Rideau Institute, an independent foreign policy think-tank in Ottawa.

The Iraqi government may be responding to a controversy in 2016 when Canadian soldiers were pictured with Kurdish flag patches sewn onto their uniforms, despite Canada’s stated policy of a unified Iraq.

Ultimately, Mason said that whatever happens with the arms shipment, Canada should look beyond military training - and devote more attention to supporting good governance in Iraq, MEE reported.

Reporter’s code: 50101