German soldiers assigned to 22nd German Task Force CD/CBI exit a CH-47 Chinook at the Beneswala Range Complex in Irbil, Iraq, on Oct. 31, 2025. NATO Mission Iraq relocated its forces to Europe, where it will carry on its mission, NATO said in a statement Friday. (Bernard Jenkins Jr./U.S. Army)
NATO personnel involved in training Iraqi forces have been pulled out of locations in the Middle East amid security concerns related to the ongoing Iran war.
NATO Mission Iraq relocated its forces to Europe, where it will carry on its mission, NATO said in a statement Friday.
U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO supreme allied commander Europe, said a collective effort by allies and Iraq enabled the safe relocation of personnel. Grynkewich said NATO forces had been able to continue their training mission in recent weeks despite the ongoing conflict.
Going forward, NATO Mission Iraq will continue from Joint Force Command Naples, the alliance said.
The NATO mission, launched in 2018, is a non-combat advisory initiative focused on helping Iraq build up its armed forces. The overall aim is to ensure Iraq’s military can manage security concerns in the country and prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group, which seized Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, in 2014.
Several hundred personnel from allied countries and partner countries Austria and Australia have been involved in the mission at any given time.
