NATO is reportedly gearing up to expand its military training mission in Iraq once the threat of the coronavirus pandemic weakens, potentially increasing the number of troops in the country from the current maximum of 500 to 4,000 or 5,000.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that he expects the alliance’s defence ministers to agree to the expanded mission this week while noting that it would take place “depending on the situation” in Iraq. The ministers are scheduled to meet via teleconference over Wednesday and Thursday (17-18 February 2021) to address NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, review progress toward fairer burden-sharing, and discuss the NATO 2030 initiative. This will also be the body’s first meeting with the new US administration under President Joe Biden.
The alliance currently has a non-combat “train-and-advise” mission in Baghdad, which has been in place since 2018 and works with Iraqi government-affiliated security institutions and forces. Plans to expand the mission have been proposed before, but were delayed due to concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic as well as potential threats to Western troops in the aftermath of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani’s killing in January 2020.
Though previous expansion plans came from former US President Donald Trump’s vision to do more in the Middle East, this time, the Iraqi leadership has asked for increased NATO presence in the country due to rising instability, Reuters reported. The alliance might also take over some training activities currently conducted by American troops against the Islamic State (IS), as an allied mission—involving countries like Britain, Turkey, and Denmark—may be more acceptable to Iraqis than a US training force.
Attacks against US forces in Iraq have been on the rise since Soleimani’s assassination in January 2020, with the latest rocket strike occurring on Monday night in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, which killed a civilian contractor with the American-led military coalition and wounded six others, including a US service member. A group called Awliya al Dam (Guardian of the Blood) brigades claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it had launched the rockets to avenge the deaths of “the martyred leaders.” They also conducted two bombings targeting US contractor convoys carrying military equipment last August.
The US State Department said on Monday that it was outraged by the incident, and had reached out to Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani “to discuss the incident and to pledge its support for all efforts to investigate and hold accountable those responsible”.
NATO To Expand Military Training Mission in Iraq
The alliance’s defence ministers will meet virtually this week to address NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, review progress toward fairer burden-sharing, and discuss the NATO 2030 initiative.
February 17, 2021
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks with NATO trainers and Iraqi troops during a visit to the alliance’s training camp in Iraq in March 2018. SOURCE: NATO