OTTAWA -- The Defence Department says a CC-130 Hercules -- flying to Erbil, Iraq, in support of Operation Impact -- was held by authorities at Baghdad International Airport for several days late last month.
Department of National Defence spokeswoman Dominique Tessier said Monday in an email that the plane was held due to an issue with customs documentation with respect to its cargo.
Tessier said the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of Foreign Affairs worked with Iraqi authorities to resolve the situation and the aircraft returned to Kuwait.
She said the aircraft was at Baghdad International Airport between Oct. 28 and 31.
Tessier said no equipment or cargo was confiscated by Iraqi authorities, but declined to disclose what the plane was carrying other than to say it originated from Canada.
An Ottawa Citizen report says the cargo was weapons destined for Canadian special forces in Kurdistan.
"In order to ensure the safety of our operations, we cannot disclose the content, the destination or the specific Canadian intended users of the shipment," Tessier said when asked if it was transporting weapons.
