NATO suspends training in Iraq after Soleimani killing

CAIRO – 4 January 2020: NATO has announced on Saturday suspending its training missions in Iraq, a spokesman for the alliance said, following the US killing of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

The NATO mission in Iraq trains the country's security forces at the request of the Baghdad government to prevent the return of the ISIS jihadist group.

"NATO's mission is continuing, but training activities are currently suspended," said the spokesman, Dylan White.

He also confirmed that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had spoken by telephone with US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper "following recent developments."