The Allies of the United States accepted Friday, October 23 to strengthen the NATO mission in Iraq and warned Washington against a unilateral disengagement in this country and in Afghanistan, during a meeting of their defense ministers in Brussels.
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The security situation in Iraq remains worrying, but NATO is ready to strengthen and extend its training mission for Iraqi forces,
" announced NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO currently has 500 personnel in Iraq as part of its mission and is ready to "
increase their number and broaden their responsibilities in consultation with the Iraqi authorities and with the global coalition against the Islamic State,
" he said. precise.
“
I cannot say now what their number will be.
Planning will be launched and this will be discussed at the next meeting of defense ministers in February 2021,
”he explained.
Following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani by an American strike in early January near Baghdad, anti-American resentment in Iraq has forced Washington to suspend the operations of the international coalition and seek to reduce its presence in the country .
The Americans have asked to transfer certain training activities for Iraqi troops carried out by the coalition to NATO.
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Dilemma
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The Covid-19 pandemic forced the Alliance to reduce the number of its staff at the start of the year, but the mission is again "
in full capacity
", said Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO must train Iraqi troops to enable them to fight ISIS and prevent it from regrouping and strengthening in Iraq.
The Americans will remain present for the fight against the Islamic State.
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The ministers also discussed the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.
It has 12,000 personnel, but the American desire to withdraw from this country after the conclusion of an agreement with the Taliban and the continuation of violence poses serious problems for the Alliance.
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A dilemma will arise in the coming months,
" warned Jens Stoltenberg.
"
Either we leave Afghanistan with the risk of seeing all the achievements disappear and the country become a refuge for terrorists, or we stay, but it will be for a long-term commitment with the risk of clashes with the Taliban
", he explained.
"
We must discuss it together and we will make the decisions together,
" he said.
“
The next set will be decisive,
” he warned.
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Germany maintains its commitments in Afghanistan.
I continue to expect our partners to leave the country together and coordinate their actions in this regard,
”German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said on her twitter account.
