What are the tasks of NATO forces ... and why did they decide to stay in Iraq for the next five years?

by **claud39** Thu Nov 05, 2020 6:13 pm

[size=42]What are the tasks of NATO forces ... and why did they decide to stay in Iraq for the next five years?[/size]

11/05/2020

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The statement of the Commander of NATO forces in Iraq, Jenny Carinal, about the survival of the NATO forces for five years to come, talked again about the parliament’s decision to remove foreign forces from the country ... What are the tasks of those forces and how did they come?

Observers believe that the survival of NATO forces for years comes within the Iraqi understandings and agreements with the United States of America and the countries of the coalition under the umbrella of the United Nations to fight "ISIS".

Therefore, these forces came at a request from the government for help and did not apply occupation forces to them, as some say, and Iraq needs them in missions. Training and development for the army and security forces to meet the challenges it faces.

The position of foreign forces

The Iraqi military and strategic expert, Major General Majid Al-Qaisi, said that the decision of the Iraqi parliament regarding the removal of foreign forces from the country was clear, although it has a legal problem, as decisions and draft laws always come from the government to parliament and are voted on, but the decision to remove the forces issued by it Parliament was pressured by political blocs after the airport operation.

He added in a phone call to "Sputnik", I think that the parliament’s decision regarding foreign forces is not binding on the government, so the government cannot implement it according to the paths of issuing laws, because the presence of foreign forces in Iraq in 2014 was based on an agreement between the Iraqi government, the US government, the coalition countries and NATO. Under the umbrella of the United Nations and the Security Council, according to the Strategic Framework Agreement, which states that if Iraq is exposed to a threat, the Iraqi government can request assistance from America.

NATO and the International Alliance

He continued, and since the United States of America was part of an international coalition in Iraq fighting against ISIS after it occupied parts of Syria and Iraq, and we have to differentiate between the international coalition in Iraq to fight ISIS and the NATO alliance, there are countries in Iraq that are not part of the coalition but are within NATO, which He attended to provide advice and training to the army and security forces in order to raise their efficiency and readiness, because the international alliance is a large part of it within NATO.

Al-Qaisi indicated that NATO forces have trained more than 200,000 Iraqi forces over the past six years, and Baghdad believes that they still need NATO services, especially in the field of training and advice, and the NATO commander’s announcement to stay in Iraq for the next five years. It means continuing to provide training and consultations, because the military side is changing and it always needs continuous training.

The military expert explained that the coalition forces in Iraq are not occupation forces and differ from the forces that were present before the year 2011, which were already occupation forces, as for the current forces, they came with the desire of the Iraqi government.

Weak willpower

For his part, the Secretary-General of the Nasserite Vanguard Party and former Iraqi diplomat Dr. Abdul Sattar Al-Jumaili said, Iraq is in a weak-willed situation due to the national and societal rupture imposed by the American occupation and the Iranian and Turkish interference and positioning, and the sectarian and ethnic quotas that resulted from that and the tyranny and corruption of the representatives of this quota system.

He added, in a call with " Sputnik ", that the Iraqi parliament’s decision to remove foreign forces from the country is nothing but a reflection of this political situation, and it has no translation on the ground except for slogans and allegations that are empty of any practical effects and implications.

The national project

Al-Jumaili indicated that in light of the current situation in Iraq, he does not have the power to decide whether or not the coalition forces will remain, and the outcome is decided by America and its alliance in light of its interests and visions.

And the Secretary of the Nasserite Party continued, I think that the occupation and the survival of its allied forces are open for more than five years if the Iraqi situation remains as it is in terms of rupture, dispersion and absence of an inclusive national project, in light of the blocs of tyranny and corruption in Baghdad and Erbil.

five years

The commander of NATO forces in Iraq, Jenny Karenyan, announced that the forces may stay for another five years in Iraq.

Karinian said in a video conference that "the international coalition against ISIS is in the transition phase and the number of its forces in Iraq will be reduced in the coming months and we will be of close assistance to them, and NATO’s goal is to carry out its duty in Iraq, even without the presence of the international coalition forces. We want to stay." Our goal is the success of reform, and after that, and for a long time, we will continue our alliance with Iraq, as is the case now with Jordan, which uses from time to time NATO's expertise to train its forces.

"At the request of the government, NATO defense ministers expressed their agreement a few days ago to expand NATO's work in Iraq by increasing the number of its advisors to include the Ministry of the Interior as well, so we will have more tasks in the coming months and years," Karinian emphasized.

On the work and mission of NATO in Iraq, Karenian said that " NATO's mission in Iraq is advisory, not combat. It advises the Ministry of Defense until it is reformed," noting that "working with the Iraqi defense includes fighting corruption, improving human capacity management and training, policy and strategy, the law of engagement." Armed, leadership, women, peace and security, and working professionally in military training. ”

Karinian explained, "In the past 20 years, the Ministry of Defense has participated in several wars, and this has made it not easy to renew and repair them, but now is the time to renew them and work on a long-term reform in them."

She added that NATO forces have 11 training sites in the fields of logistical technology, demining, engineering and medicine, within the Ministry and Military Education at the Iraqi Military College, given that the Iraqi colleges needed to renew and change their programs.

The commander of the NATO forces in Iraq promised security reform an important topic, and said: "It is very necessary for the Al-Kazemi government to encourage reform in the areas of security, and we have seen a special interest from Al-Kazemi in some of them, such as fighting corruption within the Ministry of Defense that Al-Kazemi is doing." Currently conducting it.

She pointed out that "reform in the field of security and defense requires a long-term program, and therefore NATO will remain here for other years until the success of that reform, pointing out that NATO is activating this program in 19 countries, confirming the success of the program."

The commander of the NATO forces went on to say, "They pay the greatest attention to supporting the Iraqi security forces of the Iraqi government officially, and the Popular Mobilization Forces within those forces, but despite this, NATO has no program of work with the PMF, and the issue of establishing and empowering the Popular Mobilization Forces is at the request of The Iraqi government, and it may become part of the NATO mission in the future. "

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