Toronto, Oct 8 (IANS/EFE): The lower house of the Canadian parliament has approved the deployment of up to six CF-18 Hornet fighter bombers to attack Islamic State (IS) targets in Iraq.

The Canadian military deployment, approved Tuesday, also includes a refuelling tanker, two Aurora surveillance aircraft and some 600 troops.

After the vote in favour of Canadian participation in the international offensive against the jihadis, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in a statement that the measure has not been taken lightly.

"The threat posed by the IS is real. If we don't stop it, this terrorist organisation will grow and will do so quickly," Harper said.

"It is imperative that we act with our allies to halt IS's spread in the region and reduce its capacity to launch terrorist attacks outside the region, including against Canada," he concluded.

The US government welcomed the Canadian parliament's decision in a statement.

Opposition parties, New Democratic Party and the Liberal Party, voted against sending fighter jets to Iraq.