The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the extension of the mission of Dutch soldiers in Iraq.
The mission was set to end in December, but will now continue for at least another six months.
Met alle onrust in het Midden-Oosten is het belangrijk bij te dragen aan stabiliteit en veiligheid in Irak.
— Ruben Brekelmans (@DefensieMin) December 18, 2024
Voor de NAVO-missie in Irak verlengen wij daarom de inzet van ‘Force Protection’ (naast helikopters en de commandant).
Veel waardering voor de inzet van onze militairen! pic.twitter.com/l69k3CdM6y
“With all the unrest in the Middle East, it is important to contribute to stability and security in Iraq,” Dutch Minister of Defense Ruben Brekelmans said on X on Wednesday.
“Therefore, we are extending the deployment of ‘Force Protection’ for the NATO mission in Iraq.”
Last year, the Dutch military deployed 145 additional soldiers to Baghdad to support the NATO mission and will take over the command of the mission in May.
Read More: Kurdish Leaders Congratulate New NATO Head
Of the Dutch troops that were previously based in Erbil under the U.S.-led coalition, 120 have left, leaving five Dutch soldiers in the Kurdistan Region.
“We are with less Dutch military now in the Kurdistan region. But I try to stress that we have to help all of Iraq, which also means keeping an eye on the Kurdistan Region in our military support,” Colonel Bart Kouwenberg, the outgoing military advisor for the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil, said in May.
Read More: Dutch Military Advisor: The Netherlands Benefits From a Stronger Peshmerga
The Netherlands, together with the United States, the UK, Italy, Germany, and France are part of the multi-national advisory group that supports the peshmerga reform process.
