{"id":54100,"date":"2020-01-22T03:24:51","date_gmt":"2020-01-22T03:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/22\/nato-chief-seeks-beefed-up-training-role-in-iraq\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:12:37","slug":"nato-chief-seeks-beefed-up-training-role-in-iraq","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2020\/01\/22\/nato-chief-seeks-beefed-up-training-role-in-iraq\/","title":{"rendered":"NATO chief seeks beefed-up training role in Iraq"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BRUSSELS \u2014 NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance must beef up its military training operation in Iraq to ensure that its members are not drawn back into combat there against Islamic State extremists<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stoltenberg has held talks in recent days with senior Iraqi and officials and King Abdullah of neighboring Jordan amid cautious optimism that NATO might be permitted to resume its training activities in Iraq in the near future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe need to go heavy in and train. Build everything from the ministry of defense, institutions, command and control, to train forces. NATO can do that. We already do it, but we can scale up<\/a>,\u201d Stoltenberg told members of the European Parliament in Brussels on Tuesday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NATO agreed in 2018 to launch a training mission in Iraq involving around 500 troops with the aim of building up the country\u2019s armed forces so they could better combat extremist groups like ISIS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the operation was put on hold<\/a> after a U.S. missile strike at Baghdad airport killed Iran\u2019s top general <\/a>earlier this month and the Iraqi government demanded that foreign troops leave its territory. As tensions mounted, U.S. President Donald Trump insisted that NATO should do more in the region.<\/p>\n\n\n\t