Slovenia suspends training of armed forces in Iraqi Kurdistan
The Slovenian Armed Forces conduct urban warfare training exercises during Adriatic Strike, Celje, Slovenia, June 4, 2018. Photo: U.S. Air National Guard
LJUBLJANA,— The Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) have suspended their training of the armed forces of the Iraqi Kurdistan in Erbil due to the aggravated security situation in the country.
The Slovenian contingent will nevertheless stay in Iraq and continue to perform other tasks, Slovenian media reported on Friday.
The move comes after the US Central Command announced American soldiers in Iraq and Syria were at the highest level of preparedness, as credible threats by the Iranian forces had been detected in the region.
Earlier this week Germany and the Netherlands said they were suspending military training operations in Iraq and Kurdistan region as the United States warned of increased threats from Iran-backed forces amid an escalation of tensions between Washington and Tehran.
A German defence ministry spokesman said Berlin had no indications of its own of any impending attacks on Western interests by Iran and said the training programmes could resume in the coming days.
A Dutch government source also announced a suspension of military training operations, citing an unspecified security threat.
On Wednesday the U.S. State Department ordered the pullout of some employees from both its embassy in Baghdad and its consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan capital city of Erbil.
The order came as tensions build up between the United States and Iran. Washington has applied new sanctions pressure on Tehran and sent additional forces to the Middle East, saying there is an increased threat from Iran to U.S. interests there.
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