BRUSSELS, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- NATO defense ministers agreed to start planning for a NATO training mission in Iraq, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a press conference Thursday.
Stoltenberg said the move "has been requested by both the Iraqi government and the Global Coalition".
NATO already has a small training team for Iraqi officers. "But establishing a mission will make our current training efforts more sustainable," he added.
NATO aims to help the Iraqi forces become increasingly professional by establishing specialized military schools.
"We are planning to scale up NATO's presence in Iraq. But we are not planning for a combat mission," Stoltenberg said.
Noting that 98 percent of territory seized by ISIS in Iraq and Syria has been liberated, the NATO chief stressed that it is extremely important to stabilize the country after the combat operations have ended.
NATO defence ministers wrapped up two-day talks in Brussels on Thursday, focusing on updates to the NATO command structure, increases in fair burden sharing, and NATO-EU cooperation.
