Thank you for the question. I will answer it in English.
I can confirm to you unequivocally that the use of force by our soldiers on this operation—armed force, lethal force—has only been used in a defensive mode to ensure that our partners were not subject to an attack that they couldn't deal with.
The only part of the assist function that I think may hold some confusion for others is that as we assist—help—a battalion commander or a divisional commander marshal their forces effectively to get them into the right spot by day or by night, to make certain that they are going in the right direction, with the right battle plans, and with the right fire support in place, and to put all of that together so they are most effective, that is where we are with that commander as they are moving forward, but his forces are well ahead and doing the fighting.
If you're suggesting that our forces have been manoeuvring so as to provide offensive fire, thereby taking the fight to the enemy, then you are wrong. We have responded with fire only to provocation by Daesh, where, either by surprise or by the intensity of the force that they would bring to bear, like a vehicle-borne IED that could not be stopped by any other means, we've dealt with it. I need to be as unequivocal on that as possible.
Yes, sir, there's all sorts of speculation about this, and there's all sorts of wordsmithing going on all over the place. The fact is that we have a very firm mandate, and that mandate is being very carefully and properly commanded by people I trust in the field, who are responding effectively and appropriately to the orders, my orders, and the intent of this government.
I can't make it any clearer than that.