Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces General Martin Herem visited Estonian troops in Iraq serving in Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) for an on-site overview of their tasks and living conditions. During the visit, they also met with Major General Matthew McFarlane, Commanding General, Combined Joint Task Force OIR; NATO Mission Iraq Commander Lieutenant General José Antonio Agüero Martínez; President of Iraq Abdel Latif Rachid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Minister of Defence Thabet Mohammad Al-Abbasi.
The meeting with OIR Commander Major General McFarlane focused on the cooperation of Estonia and the United States in Iraq, the Allies’ common objectives in the fight against terrorism and containing ISIS, as well as more widely on the contribution of the United States towards security in Estonia. The discussion with Lieutenant General Agüero Martínez centred on developing the Iraqi security sector.
According to Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, the main topic of the meeting with Iraqi leaders was the future of Iraq and the possible contributions of Allies in coming years.
“The President, Prime Minister and Defence Minister are confident that Iraq is now safer than ever before, however, despite that the state of Iraq wishes for the continued contribution of Allies to both fight international terrorism as well as support the security of the entire region. It is most certainly in the interest of Estonia to contribute to the security of Iraq and the region, because terrorism does now recognise state borders. The closer to the original source a problem is solved, the less likely it is for terrorist attacks to reach our region,” noted minister Pevkur.
Throughout his visits, minister Pevkur heard only positive feedback about Estonian Defence Forces in Iraq.
“The Scouts Battalion has proven itself already in earlier missions, and the work they are currently doing is highly valued by locals and allies. Moreover, this praise was not just the usual political politesse, but full of substantial recognition for our fighters. It was great to see that despite the nearly 50-degree heat the contingent is still planning on building their own sauna on the base. The motivation of the troops was high. I would also like to thank the families of every Estonian Defence Forces mission participant, because they have to make do on their own during this period, knowing that their close ones are ensuring Estonia’s freedom thousands of kilometres from home,” added Pevkur.
According to Chief of Defence General Martin Herem, the meetings with the commanders of OIR and NMI gave confirmation that the role of our troops is important in Iraq.
“Estonians are fulfilling their service tasks well, to put it lightly. We can also confirm that if our Allies and we were not here as the state of Iraq has requested, it would leave a void that some other force would fill. That, however, would benefit neither Iraq nor the region as a whole,” said General Herem.
The international military Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq is led by the United States. The objective of the operation is to advise and support local security forces. The main tasks of the Estonian contingent include ensuring the security of the base, readiness for rapid reaction to adverse events, where other units filling their tasks need fast support, as well as guarding key persons in the Kurdistan region surrounding Erbil, which is important in fighting terrorism and keeping the peace.
The NATO training mission NMI operations take place in Iraq. The mission aims at mitigating threats from the southern direction against the Alliance through helping Iraq build sustainable, transparent, inclusive and efficient security structures by training Iraqi instructors, who in turn train the state’s security structures. Estonia contributes to NMI with one staff officer and to OIR with 88 troops from the Estonian Defence Forces.
Photos from the meetings: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAPKBL
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