NATO agrees bigger ‘train-and-advise’ mission in Iraq

NATO defense ministers agreed a bigger ‘train-and-advise’ mission in Iraq on Thursday. The decision came after a US call for the alliance to help stabilize the country after three years of war against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). The military alliance will train Iraqi soldiers, but will not provide troops for combat, Reuters reports. “We will go to a consistent mission in Iraq,” US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said. He formally requested NATO involvement last month in a letter to allies. The alliance must now set the scope of the mission with the aim of launching it in July at a NATO summit set to be attended by US President Donald Trump.