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Iraq Rejects NATO Trainers
16.12.2011
By Joel Wing - ekurd.net |
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December 16, 2011
The role of foreign military advisers in Iraq has
been a hotly contested issue within the country.
Baghdad recently rejected keeping American troops in
Iraq under the monikor of trainers after the
December 31, 2011 withdrawal deadline. Now news has
broken that the government will do the same with a
NATO mission.
On December 12, 2011, Iraq’s National Security
Advisor Faleh al-Fayadh told reporters that the NATO
training mission would not be extended past the end
of the year. Fayadh said that the Iraqi government
would not grant NATO advisers immunity. He went on
to say that he was disappointed that the Western
alliance would not be able to continue on with its
work, but the Iraqi government was not going to
budge on the issue of legal exemption. The rejection
of the NATO advisers comes on the heels of Baghdad
turning down offers by the United States to keep
several thousand military advisers in the country
after the 2011 withdrawal deadline. In both cases,
the Iraqi parliament was unwilling to grant the
foreign trainers immunity.
The NATO mission in Iraq has been operating there
for the last eight years. It consists of 130
advisors from 13 different countries. It works out
of the National Defense University in Baghdad, and
also sends Iraqi officers overseas. It focuses upon
tactics, strategy, large maneuvers, and creating a
cadre of Iraqis capable of training their own
forces. As part of the 2008 Status of Forces
Agreement, it was able to operate in Iraq until
December 2011. The United States was hoping that the
mission would continue, especially after its own
offer for military trainers was turned down. The
Iraqi military leadership and Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki both favored it as well. Unfortunately,
all of them will be disappointed. Most of Iraq’s
political parties are simply unwilling to accept
foreign forces in their country anymore, which is at
the heart of their rejection of offering immunity.
Starting next year, Iraq’s security forces will be
largely operating on their own. A small police
training program run by the State Department, which
the Interior Ministry doesn’t want, and a military
assistance mission run by the Pentagon out of the
U.S. Embassy will be the only foreign forces left in
the country. Iraq can still get aid from companies
it buys major weapons systems from however. This is
all a sign that the American period of Iraqi history
is coming to an end. They leave with the Iraqi
military incapable of external defense,www.ekurd.net
which opens up the country to outside inference by
its neighbors such as the shelling of the border by
Turkey and Iran against Kurdish rebels, and Tehran’s
continued support of Shiite Special Groups. Those
don’t represent a major foreign threat though.
Iraqis for the most part, want to stand on their
own, whether they are ready or not. That means now
might be as good a time as any for Iraq to exert its
independence, and end these assistance missions,
while the Iraqi forces are only facing terrorists.
Sources
Agence France Presse, “Nato will not extend Iraq
training mission beyond 2011,” 12/12/11
Brunnstrom, David, “NATO to stop training Iraq army
when U.S. troops leave,” Reuters, 12/12/11
Davis, Aaron, “Contours of a large and lasting
American presence in Iraq starting to take shape,”
Washington Post, 1/12/11
Lee, Carol, “U.S., Iraq Discuss Future Role for
Troops,” Wall Street Journal, 12/1/11
Rudaw, “Army Chief of Staff: Iraqi Army Unable to
Control Iraq Until 2020,” 4/28/11
Santana, Rebecca and Lekic, Slobodan, “Talks on Iraq
NATO mission stall over immunity,” Associated Press,
12/1/11
Schmidt, Michael, “For Iraqis and U.S. Troops, a
Question Is Still Unanswered,” At War, New York
Times, 5/18/11
Joel Wing, with an MA in International Relations,
Joel Wing has been researching and writing about
Iraq since 2002. His acclaimed blog, Musings on
Iraq, is currently listed by the New York Times and
the World Politics Review. In addition, Mr. Wing’s
work has been cited by the Center for Strategic and
International Studies, the Guardian and the
Washington Independent. You may visit his Blog
Musings On Iraq at musingsoniraq.blogspot.com
Copyright © 2011 ekurd.net
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