NATO temporarily suspends training activities in Iraq

BAGHDAD-Anadolu Agency

NATO has suspended a training mission in Iraq following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qassem Soleimani by a U.S. airstrike at Baghdad airport, an alliance spokesman said on Jan. 4.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Dylan White said: “The safety of our personnel in Iraq is paramount. We continue to take all the precautions necessary. NATO's mission is continuing, but training activities are temporarily suspended.”

He noted that NATO Mission Iraq has several hundreds of personnel and they, at the request of the Iraqi government, help strengthen the Iraqi forces and prevent the return of ISIL.

White said that NATO is monitoring the situation in the region “very closely” and added: “We remain in close and regular contact with the U.S. authorities.”

He also said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and the U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper held a phone conversation following the recent developments.