NATO Iraq Mission Prepares to Return to Baghdad

NATO’s mission in Iraq is expected to return to Baghdad in the coming months after being withdrawn to Italy because of tensions in the Middle East. Former mission commander French General Christophe Hintzy said the evacuated personnel could go back to Baghdad in the months ahead. Hintzy said the general staff is working on several options for the return and that the process will be carried out gradually. He said the new setup will differ from the current structure and will operate on a much smaller scale. The NATO mission was launched in 2018 at the request of the Iraqi government as a non-combat mission providing advisory support to strengthen Iraq’s military and security capacity. Before the evacuation, about 750 personnel from 21 nationalities and 500 contracted employees were serving in Baghdad. After tensions with Iran, the mission’s roughly 1,300-strong staff was withdrawn to Europe in two stages on 18 and 20 March. The personnel are expected to be redeployed to Iraq under new scenarios.