Germany suspends training Iraqi troops amid US-Iran tensions in the Gulf

The German army suspended its training programs for Iraqi troops due to increasing tensions in the region, the Defense Ministry said. The move comes after the US ordered partial evacuation of its embassy in Baghdad.

Berlin made the decision to suspend the training of Iraqi soldiers while “orienting itself toward our partner countries,” the Defense Ministry’s spokesperson, Jens Flosdorff, told reporters.

He said that there is “no concrete threat” to German troops at the moment but the decision to halt the training of local forces was made because the situation on the ground in general is becoming more tense.

Some 60 German soldiers are involved in training the Iraqi military in Baghdad, and around 100 more are stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Earlier on Wednesday, the US ordered to partially evacuate its embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed that “Iranian activities” endanger American sites and troops in Iraq.

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