THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Commander Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Brigadier-General Michael Rouleau speaks during a technical briefing Monday, January 19, 2015 in Ottawa. Canada's top special forces soldier is facing a court martial after accidentally firing his rifle while loading it during a visit to Iraq last December.
OTTAWA — A court martial will be held in Ottawa today for Canada's top special forces soldier after he accidentally fired his weapon.
Maj.-Gen. Michael Rouleau is charged under the National Defence Act with one count of neglect to the prejudice of good order and discipline.
The charge stems from an incident last December in Iraq.
A statement from Rouleau released earlier this year says he was loading his rifle while preparing to visit a frontline position when the weapon fired a single round.
No one was injured but Rouleau said in his statement that for a soldier "the only acceptable standard of care with a weapon is error-free.''
Up to 200 Canadian special forces troops have been sent to Iraq where they are helping Kurdish fighters battle the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL.
Rouleau has been in command of Canada's special forces since 2014.
He isn't the first Canadian general to face a court martial for his weapon accidentally firing.
Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard was fined $3,500 after his rifle fired two bullets in Afghanistan while he was commander of Canadian troops in the country in 2010.
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