By John Lee. The coronavirus pandemic dominated a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels last week, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. "We addressed a number of issues, including our missions in Afghanistan and Iraq and our support for Georgia and Ukraine, but our response to the COVID-19 was at the top of our agenda," […]
By John Lee. European countries including France, Spain and the Netherlands have reportedly announced the temporary withdrawal of troops from the anti-Islamic State (IS) coalition and NATO Training Mission in Iraq. According to Janes 360, the withdrawals follow an announcement by Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) that it had ceased training Iraqi […]
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday (12 February 2020) that Allied ministers had reaffirmed their support to Iraq and agreed in principle to enhance NATOs training mission. In the first instance, this will consist of taking on some of the Global Coalition’s current training activities. Ministers also agreed to explore what more could […]
NATO supports continued development of Iraq’s defence education institutions On 12-14 January 2020, a delegation from Iraq’s National Defence College visited Ukraine’s National Defence University in Kyiv. The visit was conducted within the framework of the NATO Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP). This programme supports the NATO Mission Iraq’s commitment and efforts towards the further […]
On Tuesday, the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations Dr. John Manza and his delegation met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Mr. Abdul Karim Hashim Aboualgus and his team. The Deputy Minister and Dr. Manza discussed the current state of the NATO Mission in Iraq and cooperation between […]
By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Foreign troops' future in Iraq uncertain as clashes continue For the security of its personnel, NATO has temporarily suspended its training activities in Iraq, given the recent violence […]
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Iraq’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abdul Karim Hashim Aboualgus at NATO Headquarters on Tuesday. They shared views on the recent developments in the Middle East and on NATO-Iraq cooperation. Mr. Stoltenberg underscored that NATO remains fully committed to working with Iraq, and that NATO is ready to resume training […]
Speaking after the meeting of NATO’s North Atlantic Council, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that the safety of NATO’s personnel in Iraq is paramount and that the Alliance had temporarily suspended training activities on the ground. He added that NATO was prepared to continue training and capacity-building when the situation permits, emphasizing that the Alliance […]
By John Lee. On 11 December 2019, Christoph Buik was appointed as new head of mission for the European Union Advisory Mission in Iraq (EUAM Iraq). He will take up his duties on 1 January 2020. Christoph Buik, a German national, is currently Director of the UN Standing Police Capacity. Previously, he was Police Commissioner […]
By John Lee. Denmark has reportedly offered to lead a NATO mission to train Iraqi forces, replacing Canada, whose term ends in late 2020. According to AFP, the year-old NATO mission provides around 500 soldiers to advise and train Iraqi troops. It qutoes the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (pictured) as saying that they would […]
By John Lee. NATO is to take the lead in the ‘train the trainer’ mission to teach Iraqi military instructors to impart key skills. According to a press release from the Combined Joint Task Force (Operation Inherent Resolve), the project will involve such skills as countering improvised explosive devices, civil-military planning, armored vehicle maintenance, and […]
NATO Leads New Mission to Develop Iraq’s Defense Institutions A new NATO-led mission in Iraq will work to further develop Iraq’s security institutions and structures, British Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika told Pentagon reporters here today. American and Turkish troops conduct a convoy during a joint patrol in Manbij, Syria, Nov. 8, 2018. Army photo […]
