NATO mission in Iraq not disrupted by tension over Iran – commander

The head of the NATO mission in Iraq said on Thursday that the recent increase in tension between the US and Iran has not hampered the alliance’s work in the country.

Washington ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff from its Baghdad embassy last month, due to an alleged growing threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias.

Canadian Gen. Dany Fortin, who leads NATO’s 500-strong training and advisory mission in Iraq, said his forces had “sufficiently mitigated” the threat and were able to continue working, AFP reports.

“There’s no doubt there's still risk and… there was a critical threat, cause for concern for the US and for all of us,” Fortin said at NATO headquarters in Brussels.