The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, (NATO) also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 European and North American countries.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Alliance defense ministers have agreed to raise the number of troops for the NATO Mission in Iraq from 500 to 4,000, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a virtual news conference today.  The announcement came  just days after a civilian contractor was killed and eight others were wounded in a rocket attack Monday at a U.S.-led military base in Kurdish northern Iraq. It was the deadliest attack against U.S.-led forces for almost a year in Iraq.  The NATO secretary general made the announcement at the end of the alliance Defense Ministerial. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III participated in the virtual meeting for the United States.  The NATO chief said Ministers agreed to expand the scope of the NATO mission, following Iraq’s request, in order to support the Iraqi forces as they fight terrorism and ensure that ISIS does not return.  According to the NATO secretary general,  the mission will continue to be carried out with full respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and in close coordination with the Global Coalition. 

‘The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000. And training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions, and areas beyond Baghdad. Our presence is conditions-based, and increases in troop numbers will be incremental. Our mission is at the request of the Iraqi government. I spoke with Prime Minister Al—Kadhimi this week and assured him that everything will be done in full consultation with the Iraqi authorities.”

-NATO  Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

Opening remarks by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at Defense Ministerial February 17, 2021. (credit: nato.int)

The NATO chief explained that the purpose of the IRAQ Training Mission, or the capacity-building mission by NATO in Iraq,  is to prevent a situation where NATO Allies, again, may be forced into a situation where they need to be part of bigger combat operations.  “And that’s exactly why we are there and why we are expanding our mission,” Stoltenberg said. There are several bases already in Iraq that NATO can use, he said, adding that  they are partly bases where NATO Allies already operate under the umbrella of the US Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh and partly other Iraqi bases. 

“We say in NATO that prevention is better than intervention, meaning that, of course, NATO and NATO Allies should always be prepared for, again, engaging in big combat operations. But in the long term, it’s much better if we train local forces, build local security institutions, as we’re now doing in Iraq and as we will expand doing in Iraq in the coming months, because local forces, they will, in a more sustainable way, be able to stabilise their own country and fight the terrorists themselves. “

No Decision On Afghanistan Withdrawal

Stoltenberg said the ministers also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the progress of the peace process. The U.S.-Taliban Agreement calls for withdrawal by May 1 if conditions are met. 

“We are faced with many dilemmas, and there are no easy options,” Stoltenberg said. “At this stage, we have made no final decision on the future of our presence. But as the first of May deadline is approaching, NATO allies will continue to closely consult and coordinate in the coming weeks.”