Dutch to continue military mission in Kurdistan Region, Iraq

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – In a letter to Dutch lawmakers on Friday, Dutch Defense Secretary Henk Kamp and Foreign Minister Ben Knapen confirmed that the Netherlands will extend its military mission in Iraq until Dec. 31, 2022, including the mission in the Kurdistan Region, where Dutch troops protect the Erbil International Airport.

Since January, around 150 Dutch troops have been providing protection to the Erbil International Airport (EIA) in the Kurdistan Region capital.

Read More: Dutch army underlines need to protect Erbil airport after rocket attack

Furthermore, the Dutch army will also get a new task after a request from the EIA Coalition commander to have Dutch soldiers protect Coalition advisors and members with their Ground Movement Teams in the Kurdistan Region.

The Dutch will also continue a training mission in Baghdad and support the headquarters of the anti-ISIS Coalition with liaison and staff officers. The Dutch also contributed 20 military and civilian experts to the NATO mission to Iraq.

Amsterdam will also proceed with supporting the Peshmerga reform program by placing a military advisor at the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs.

“With this technical extension of one year, the Netherlands continues to contribute as a reliable partner to the ever-evolving fight against ISIS,” the ministers wrote.

“It is up to a new cabinet to decide on the future (multi-year) deployment of the Netherlands in the fight against ISIS, taking into account, among other things, relevant developments and potentially relevant lessons learned from the deployment in Afghanistan.”

The letter notes that the Dutch government recognizes ISIS as a threat, despite the terrorist organization’s territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria.

During a meeting of the US-led anti-ISIS Coalition on Oct. 22, in the presence of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Coalition members unanimously agreed that the fight against ISIS is not over.

During the meeting, the US government also underlined the importance of continuing its military presence in northeast Syria and Iraq.