Head of NATO convenes North Atlantic Council in connection with Middle East

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has decided to convene the North Atlantic Council, the Alliance's highest decision-making body in relation to the situation in the Middle East. This is a consequence of the liquidation by the US Air Force of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, commander of the elite Al-Kuds forces. Earlier, NATO had decided that it suspended training operations in Iraq for security reasons. Also on Sunday, fighting the Islamic State (IS), an international coalition led by the US in Iraq announced the suspension of training and support for Iraqi security forces in connection with raids on the bases where its soldiers are stationed.

At an extraordinary session, the Iraqi Parliament passed a resolution on Sunday calling for the government to take action to end the presence of all foreign soldiers in Iraq. For the time being, it is not clear whether NATO will make any decisions regarding the presence of military personnel of the Alliance in Iraq. The NATO training mission in this country has several hundred people. It was launched in 2018 at the request of the authorities in Baghdad to strengthen its forces and prevent the return of Islamic State.

(PAP)