Expanding our tasks in Iraq is at the request of the Iraqi government, NATO commander in Iraq says

Shafaq News / The North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO" in Iraq confirmed on Sunday that any expansion of its training mission in Iraq would be at the request of the Iraqi government.

The Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, said in a statement received by Shafaq News Agency upon his meeting with the commander of the NATO mission in Iraq, Lieutenant-General Pierre Olsen, "Iraq is keen to cooperate with the international community. Iraqi forces have great experiences gained through combat," noting, "exchanging of experiences is crucial to confront terrorism and extremism."

Al-Araji continued, "Iraq is not part of any regional problem, but rather is part of the solution," indicating, "Iraq will work to benefit from the NATO's expertise. Sharing experiences is vital because ISIS is still a threat."

For his part, the commander of the NATO mission confirmed, "the presence of the mission is at the request of the Iraqi government. Any expansion of its tasks would be at the request of the Iraqi government as well."

He continued, "the NATO mission supports Iraq to confront terrorism and extremism."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg announced Thursday that the 30-member alliance would expand its security training mission in Iraq in order to prevent the war-torn country from becoming a safe haven for international terrorists.

"The size of our mission will increase from 500 personnel to around 4,000 and training activities will now include more Iraqi security institutions and areas beyond Baghdad," Stoltenberg told reporters at the conclusion of a two-day virtual NATO defense ministers meeting.

"Our presence is conditions-based, and increases in troop numbers will be incremental," he said, adding that the request for an expanded mission was made by the Iraqi government.