NATO increasing troops in Iraq to 4,000

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — NATO will dramatically increase troop numbers in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government to help fight terrorism, the head of the military alliance said in a press conference on Thursday.

“Today, we decided to expand NATO’s training mission in Iraq. To support the Iraqi forces as they fight terrorism and ensure that ISIS [Islamic State] does not return,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after a meeting with NATO defence ministers.

“The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000,” he said, adding that the move is “condition-based” and will be done incrementally. 

With the boost in numbers, the training mission will be expanded to include more for security institutions and “areas beyond Baghdad,” he added. 

Baghdad had requested the boosted mission and NATO has “full respect” of Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Stoltenberg. 

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Tuesday spoke with Stoltenberg to discuss the military alliance’s continued support for the Iraqi security and military institutions in the form of training, advising, and intelligence cooperation, according to a statement from the PM’s media office.

NATO on Wednesday said they may increase the number of their troops in Iraq during the first day of the conference.

NATO launched its training mission in Iraq in 2018 and has around 500 forces training Iraqi troops. The mission was first led by Canada for two years and was later handed over to Denmark.

ISIS was declared militarily defeated in Iraq in 2017, but the remnants and sleeper cells of the group remain a threat. Iraqi forces carry out regular operations against the group, which has returned to insurgency tactics. 

France’s armed forces minister warned in January that the Islamic State has “regained strength” in both Iraq and Syria. Deputy Minister of Peshmerga Sarbast Lazgin warned in late January that ISIS was growing in strength and reorganizing in Iraq, particularly in areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad.