Middle East

NATO Halts Training Of Iraqi Forces After U.S. Kills Iranian General

NATO said its mission will continue, but training is temporarily suspended as a safety precaution.

NATO Halts Training Of Iraqi Forces After U.S. Kills Iranian General
U.S. Army
SMS

NATO is halting its training of Iraqi forces after a U.S. airstrike in Iraq killed a top Iranian general.

The alliance announced the suspension on Saturday. NATO's acting spokesman said in a statement that its mission will continue, but training is temporarily suspended as a safety precaution.

The Canadian-led NATO mission had been training Iraqi forces since late 2018 to help keep ISIS at bay.

The Pentagon confirmed Thursday it carried out the attack that killed Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani on orders of President Donald Trump. Soleimani was head of Iran's Quds Force — a group the U.S. State Department  designated as a foreign terrorist organization in April. The Defense Department said he'd been "actively" planning attacks on U.S. troops and diplomats in Iraq. 

On Friday, Iran's supreme leader announced three days of national mourning and said "severe revenge awaits the criminals" behind the attack. Iran's foreign minister called Soleimani's death an "act of international terrorism."

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN