Dutch to halt training mission in northern Iraq after all: ANP
The Netherlands is halting its training mission in northern Iraq in the wake of the Iraqi parliament declaration against the presence of troops from other countries, the defence ministry said on Monday.
The Netherlands is part of the international coalition against IS in Iraq and is involved in a training mission in the north of the country. Some 60 Dutch soldiers are currently in Iraq, according to defence ministry figures.
At the weekend, Iraqi MPs passed a resolution calling for foreign troops to leave the country. The call follows the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport last week.
At first it appeared that the mission in northern Iraq would continue but officials have now backtracked, news agency ANP reported. There are no plans as yet to recall Dutch soldiers in the region.
Earlier, the foreign ministry advised Dutch nationals living in Iraq to leave the country.
Thank you for donating to DutchNews.nl.
We could not provide the Dutch News service, and keep it free of charge, without the generous support of our readers. Your donations allow us to report on issues you tell us matter, and provide you with a summary of the most important Dutch news each day.
Make a donation