MOD: NATO mission limited to training

Baghdad - INA

Today, Saturday, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that the NATO mission in Iraq is restricted to training only. The spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Brigadier Yahya Rasoul, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "There is a difference between the international coalition and NATO.

He added that "Iraq has large training institutions and there is no harm in developing military capabilities, especially as the battles in which technology has become used."

On the operations of the heroes of Iraq, Rasoul emphasized that "all the sectors involved in the operations are Iraqi forces, there is no international coalition, and there is high coordination between all leaders."He pointed out that "the Syrian-Iraqi border witnesses daily qualitative operations against ISIS with Iraqi air cover, pointing out that" Iraq possesses drones, thermal cameras, reconnaissance and a great intelligence effort, since the battles with the remaining terrorism are intelligence battles. "

Earlier, the military spokesman for the Armed Forces Commander in Chief, Major General Abdul Karim Khalaf, announced the formation of two Iraqi delegations to negotiate with NATO to find a new window for cooperation. Khalaf said in a statement to the Iraqi News Agency: "The Iraqi government has many options to determine the form of the relationship with NATO," noting that "these options are still under discussion and talks, because they are linked with many countries within the coalition and not one country."

Khalaf pointed out that "Iraq has cooperation with France, Canada, Britain and even the United States with training issues," stressing that "the best way to cooperate, which meets the needs of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, is to be chosen."

He explained that "the program that has existed with NATO since 2012 is still going on, but Iraq wants to find a new window that will be a form of a new relationship with NATO."