Netherlands to deploy about 120 soldiers, three helicopters to Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Dutch defence ministry on Friday announced that it will dispatch around another 120 soldiers and three transport helicopters to Iraq as part of its NATO mission in the country. 

After the Dutch government told lawmakers that it would send approximately another 120 soldiers and three Chinook helicopters to Iraq, the Netherlands' Commander of the Armed Forces Onno Eichelsheim said in a post of X (formerly Twitter) that his country “wants to contribute more” in Iraq.  

“The helicopter detachment is used for, among other things, supplying units and moving advisors, units and equipment,” said the Dutch defence ministry in a statement.  

The Netherlands is a member of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) which was formed in 2014 when the radical group seized large swathes of the Syrian and Iraqi territories. Dutch troops have been providing training to both Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi soldiers. 

Amsterdam in 2021 deployed an additional 150 soldiers to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and the Dutch government announced in July that an infantry unit of 145 soldiers would be sent to Iraq in the beginning of 2024.