Canada PM arrives in Iraq on surprise visit

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived in Iraq on Saturday for a surprise visit expected to include a meeting with Canadian soldiers advising Iraqi troops fighting Islamic State militants. Canada has around 70 special forces in Kurdish areas of northern Iraq. Canadian jets are also taking part in a U.S.-led mission to bomb Islamic State positions in Iraq and Syria. Harper, who faces a federal election in October, announced in March that Canada would extend its six-month mission by a year to April 2016. Opposition politicians criticized the extension, accusing the Conservative government of "mission creep", saying Canada was being dragged into a war not of its own making. (Reporting by Chris Wattie)