NATO To Agree Larger Iraq Training Force as Violence Rises

By Staff, Agencies

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] ministers are set to expand the military alliance's training mission in Iraq once the coronavirus pandemic eases, senior officials and diplomats said, potentially cementing its broader role in the Middle East.

Ministers are set to agree plans on Thursday during a video conference, potentially taking the mission from its current maximum of some 500 troops to around 4,000 or 5,000, four diplomats said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday he expected the ministers to agree to an expanded mission, with more allied personnel working in more security institutions across the Middle Eastern country.

"The mission will expand gradually, in response to the situation," he added.

NATO has had a non-combat, "train-and-advise" mission in Baghdad since October 2018 but plans to expand it were delayed, in part, by COVID-19 and also due to concerns about regional stability after a US drone killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad on Jan. 3. 2020.

Earlier expansion plans were mainly in response to a demand by then-US President Donald Trump for NATO to do more in the Middle East. This time, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, a former intelligence chief and US ally who took office in May, is eager to have a greater NATO presence in the country at a time of rising insecurity, diplomats said.