Canadian-led training mission in Iraq isn’t dead, says NATO secretary-general
NATO’s Canadian-led training mission in Iraq will remain in place and resume operations as soon as possible, the alliance’s secretary-general said Monday.
The work of the mission’s roughly 500 multinational soldiers, who are training Iraqi Army trainers in various military skills, was halted following the drone strike ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday.
Iraq’s parliament voted over the weekend in favour of a non-binding resolution calling on the government to expel foreign troops from the country.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that while the safety of the alliance’s troops is paramount, they’re ready to get back to work.
«We have suspended our training mission now because of the security situation on the ground, but we are ready to restart the training when the situation on the ground makes that possible,» Stoltenberg said at NATO headquarters in Brussels following a briefing for the military alliance’s ambassadors. «We are in close contact with the Iraqi authorities, with [the] Iraqi government.»
His comments suggest there’s some hope still that the training mission — which is separate from the U.S.-led coalition that has been hunting the remnants of the Islamic State in the region — will be permitted to continue because of the value the Iraqi government has placed on it in the past.
«The Iraqi prime minister stressed the importance of NATO support, coalition support to the Iraqi security forces,» Stoltenberg said, referring to a recent meeting with the Iraqi leadership prior to Soleimani’s death.
«It’s important for Iraq, but it is also important for us, because when we train them, help them in fighting ISIS and international terrorism, we’re making our own countries safe and secure.»
Stoltenberg said he expects «to have close dialogue with the Iraqi government» over the coming days.
Canada has about 500 troops in Iraq. About half of them provide support to the NATO training mission, while other half — mostly based in Erbil in northern Iraq — are involved in the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition.
A ‘de-escalation of tensions’
Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne spoke Monday with his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, according to a statement from Global Affairs Canada.
«The minister reiterated Canada’s ongoing commitment to a stable and united Iraq and to ensuring the enduring defeat of Daesh,» said the statement, using a common Arabic word for ISIS. «The two ministers agreed that a de-escalation in tensions is necessary as peace and stability are key to pursuing the political and economic reforms underway in Iraq.»
The message of de-escalation was echoed by Stoltenberg, who said American military and diplomatic officials contacted other NATO members to explain the rationale for killing Soleimani.
He ducked questions about whether the alliance supports the U.S. action and pointed out how Iran has long played a spoiler role in the Middle East.
«What was clearly expressed at the meeting today was a call for restraint and de-escalation,» he said. «All allies have several times expressed their concerns about Iran’s destabilizing activities in the regions, including Iran’s support for different terrorist groups.
«And of course, all allies agree that Iran should never be able to develop nuclear weapons and we have also expressed again and again our concerns about Iran’s missile programme, missiles which are able to reach also many European allied countries.»
