NATO temporarily repositioning some personnel in Iraq

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS (AA) - NATO said Tuesday that the military alliance is temporarily repositioning some personnel to different locations both inside and outside of Iraq.

“The safety of NATO personnel is paramount,” a NATO official told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity, and added that therefore the alliance has suspended its training on the ground in Iraq.

"This includes the temporary repositioning of some personnel to different locations both inside and outside of Iraq," the official said.

The official added that the alliance is prepared to continue its training and capacity-building when the situation permits.

Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Friday.

His death marked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which rose in 2018 after U.S. President Donald Trump chose to unilaterally withdraw Washington from a 2015 nuclear pact world powers struck with Tehran.

NATO's training mission in Baghdad was founded upon the request of Iraqi government in 2018 and around 500 NATO personnel from allied and partner countries are serving in the mission.

* Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet in Ankara