"We are here because Iraq wants us to be here, we are not here without the consent and without an invitation from Iraq," Jens Stoltenberg told AFP during his visit on Monday.
"We should not stay longer than necessary, we will train the trainers as long as necessary to make sure [ISIS] does not reemerge,” he explained.
The Iraqi parliament passed a resolution last week requesting a timetable from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country, the speaker’s office said.
“The Iraqi parliament expresses its gratitude to all countries which have supported Iraq in its fight against Daesh (ISIS) and calls for the government to draw up a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops,” it said in a statement, according to AFP.
Abadi is under pressure from Iranian-backed Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi — some of which have a history of insurgency against the US forces following the 2003 invasion — to fully withdraw the Americans.
The US plans to reduce its forces in Iraq by more than half.
In February, NATO announced plans to establish a permanent training mission in Iraq to help the country’s forces to professionalize – a move made at the request of Baghdad and the global anti-ISIS coalition.
Abadi welcomed Stoltenberg in the Iraqi capital on Monday, highlighting “the importance of cooperation with the NATO alliance in fighting terrorism,” read a statement from his office.
The Iraqi prime minister told the NATO delegation that victory of ISIS should be “preserved and the ideological existence of terrorism be eradicated and to continue pursuing them… cooperation between Iraq and NATO is important in this regard.”
There are fears of an ISIS resurgence after a string of deadly attacks by the group in the Hawija and Kirkuk areas recently.
Analysis: Foreign forces likely to remain in Iraq despite Baghdad’s grandstanding
