NOT: CF-18s readied for Afstan if NATO asks

The government appears to be changing its tune about whether CF-18s may go after all.

Just a month after the defence department denied any plans to dispatch CF-18 fighter jets to Afghanistan, Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor has opened the door to a possible deployment.

With opposition critics accusing the government of a flip-flop, O'Connor told the Commons yesterday: "Recently we made a commitment to NATO that we will have six CF-18s ready for NATO if they require us. That is why the money was spent to fix up these CF-18s."

The Toronto Star revealed last month that Ottawa was making preparations in case its fighter jets were needed in Afghanistan. That included a $1.9 million contract with the U.S. government for "deployment support" for the CF-18s.

But the Star story sparked an angry response from the defence department, with officials taking the unusual step of issuing a statement to deny plans to send the sleek jets abroad...

...under further questioning from NDP MP Dawn Black, [MND] O'Connor confirmed that Canada has committed six CF-18s to NATO for use in operations, if needed. His officials could not be reached to clarify his comments...

Currently, British and American [and Dutch] fighters are providing air support for Canadian troops engaged in bitter battles to clear out insurgents...

Update: In the House Question Period today MND O'Connor said the government had no plans or intention to deploy CF-18s to Afstan. He said that rather they had been committed to the NATO Response Force.