BRUSSELS, Aug. 3, 2015 - NATO allies Friday agreed to
undertake a program aimed to help strengthen Iraq's security forces.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement
that the decision "underscores NATO’s commitment to deepening our
partnership with Iraq.”
The defense capacity building package, which was developed
at Iraq’s request and in close consultation with Iraqi authorities, will
provide "support in areas where NATO is best-placed to add value,"
Stoltenberg said.
The package includes measures of support in seven priority
areas: advice on security sector reform; countering improvised explosive
devices, explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining; civil military planning;
cyber defense; military medicine and medical assistance; military training; and
civil emergency planning. The training
programs will be held in Turkey and Jordan.
“NATO’s support for Iraq has been designed to
complement efforts carried out by the Global Coalition against (the Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant), the European Union, the United Nations and
bilateral efforts by individual allies,” the secretary general said.