SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The commander of NATO mission in Iraq said the organization would not take the role of the United States in the country.
Lieutenant General Per Pugholm Olsen said in an interview with Asia TV broadcast on Tuesday that NATO currently had more than 300 troops in Iraq, who are there to train and advise Iraqi forces.
Oslen further said the Iraqi national security adviser, Qasem al-Araji, had submitted a formal request to increase the number of NATO troops in the country.
“NATO will not take the American role in Iraq,” he added, noting that his meetings in the coming months would determine the which institutions would receive consultancy and training.
In February, NATO defense ministers agreed to expand its mission in Iraq at the request of the federal government.
NATO has had a non-combat, “train-and-advise” mission in Baghdad since October 2018 but plans to expand it were delayed, in part, by COVID-19 and also due to concerns about regional stability after a U.S. drone killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad on Jan. 3. 2020.
Currently, the NATO mission only trains and advises members of the Iraqi security institutions and forces who are under the direct control of the Iraqi government.
