Al-Araji denies the claims of NATO commander in Iraq regarding increasing troops in Iraq

Shafaq News / The National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, denied the NATO Commander's statements in Iraq, General Pierre Olsen, who claimed that al-Araji requested increasing NATO troops in Iraq.

Al-Araji's office said in a statement that the latter received the Secretary-General for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, where they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Iraq and the UN mission."

Al-Araji said, "the government respects the Iraqi Council of Representatives' decision on foreign forces and is working to end this file in a way that guarantees the stability of the country."

Furthermore, he reviewed with Hennis-Plasschaert, NATO's work in Iraq, stressing, "the number of NATO mission personnel is 320, including experts, advisors, trainers, and employees only. The mission does not have security missions in Iraq."

"The tasks of the NATO mission in Iraq are training and consulting only, and there is no decision or directive from the Iraqi government to increase their number or change their advisory functions. Any talk about increasing the of NATO personnel in Iraq is unfounded."

In an interview on Tuesday, NATO commander in Iraq, General Pierre Olsen, said that the Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, submitted a formal request to increase the number of NATO troops in Iraq.

NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on February 18, that the alliance will expand its training mission in Iraq from 500 to around 4,000 personnel.