Aboard a US military aircraft (AFP) – Baghdad wants the coalition engaged in the fight against the Islamic State group to train Iraqi police officers, a senior US official said Saturday.
Senior US defense officials will meet in Brussels on February 11 with defense ministers from 26 nations that are part of the US-led coalition, as well as Iraqi representatives, to see what additional contributions countries can deliver.
The coalition needs to find different ways to help, beyond trainers, such as by providing military advisors, Special Forces soldiers, planes and aircraft for aerial intelligence, according to Washington.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met Friday with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter at the Davos gathering of policymakers and business leaders and expressed his interest in getting support for police training, the US official said.
He described the commandos, known as the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), as Iraq’s “best forces” and “most capable” soldiers.
“One month of training in the eyes of the Iraqis made a significant difference … and they are very eager to get additional assistance in the training of the police forces,” the official said.
The coalition’s strategy is aimed at destroying IS by focusing on their power centers in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and Raqa in Syria.