Ministry of Defense Chinook transport helicopter (source: Defense)
NOS News•today, 5:50 PM•Adjusted today, 6:13 PM
The Netherlands is sending another 135 soldiers as a contribution to the NATO mission in Iraq (NMI). The outgoing government supplies three Chinooks, transport helicopters, with a crew of 120 soldiers. A Dutchman will also become commander of the NATO mission. It is not yet known who that will be. He or she will be assigned a staff of 15 soldiers. The soldiers will go to the country for a year, from May 2024 to May 2025.
The additional delivery is in addition to a military contribution that was announced at the beginning of July. It then concerned an infantry company of 145 soldiers. They have been deployed since January 1 to protect the mission. The total therefore amounts to approximately 281 Dutch soldiers.
The NATO mission was formed in 2018 at the request of Iraq. The NATO soldiers do not use force themselves, but advise the Iraqi armed forces and the Iraqi police.
Resistance
The soldiers of the Chinooks transport helicopters will ensure the supply of goods and the movement of NATO personnel.
The government believes that military aid is still necessary. The domestic situation in Iraq is “tense”, political tensions in the Kurdish region “continue” and the human rights situation “remains worrying” and “an ongoing concern”, to write the Ministers of Defense and Foreign Affairs to the House of Representatives.
“Although IS has been defeated militarily, it is important that the Netherlands and its allies continue to help strengthen the security sector so that Iraq becomes and remains a safe and stable country,” a Defense spokesperson explained the cabinet decision.
2023-09-29 15:50:13
#Additional #Dutch #soldiers #Iraq #Chinooks #NATO #commander
