NATO = North Atlantic Treaty Organization held a defense ministers' meeting and decided to significantly increase the number of personnel training local security forces in response to security instability in Iraq.
NATO held an online defense ministers' meeting on the 18th to discuss the security situation in the Middle East.
As a result, we have decided to significantly increase the number of NATO troops training local security forces in Iraq from the current 500 to 4000.
Security has been destabilized in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, with more than 30 people killed in a large-scale suicide bombing last month claimed by the militant group IS = Islamic State.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized the significance of the event at a press conference after the meeting, saying, "To support Iraqi troops fighting terrorism and prevent IS from returning."
The meeting also discussed when to withdraw international troops, including the United States, deployed in Afghanistan.
The rebel Taliban and the United States signed a peace agreement last year over Afghanistan, and by May 1st, the U.S. military will withdraw completely from Afghanistan, but the United States has agreed with the Taliban. The focus is on whether the withdrawal should be postponed, saying it is not being followed.
However, no conclusion was reached at this meeting, and we will continue discussions.