Estonian defense chief arrives in Erbil
Estonian troops will join the 4,000 Coalition troops stationed at a base near the Erbil International Airport, and take responsibility for securing the military site.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur on Wednesday arrived in Erbil, where he is set to meet with the Kurdish region's top officials.
The visit comes as the European country in April announced that it would deploy 100 soldiers as part of the international coalition against ISIS in Erbil to protect the international forces.
The defense minister is set to meet with the Region's top officials during his stay in Kurdistan.
Estonian troops will join the 4,000 Coalition troops stationed at a military base in Erbil, and take responsibility for securing the military site, a role the Dutch army had previously held, according to the statement.
"The Allies proposed sending units to Iraq nearly two months ago. Now we are in a position to deploy our troops after completing the necessary trainings,” said Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces, General Martin Herem.
Estonia, a NATO member since 2004, is also part of the 83-partner International Coalition to Defeat ISIS, led by the US since 2014.
The operation’s current mandate is to advise and support local security forces in the enduring defeat of the terror group, which once controlled a third of Iraq before its self-proclaimed caliphate was toppled in 2017 by Kurdish Peshmerga and Iraqi forces, with air support and training from the international coalition.
Although ISIS has been territorially defeated, the remnants of the extremist organization still pose a threat to security forces and civilians, according to local authorities and Coalition forces.
