Romania, Croatia Withdraw Troops from Iraq Amid Tensions

Romanian nuclear, biological and chemical decontamination troops enter a transport plane prior to taking off for Kuwait City to provide support for non-combat missions of the US-led coalition in Iraq in April 2003. Archive photo: EPA/SZASZ ISTVAN.

Romania and Croatia said on Tuesday that they have joined other NATO countries in withdrawing military personnel from Iraq following the Baghdad parliament’s call for foreign troops to leave the country in reaction to the US killing of a top Iranian general near the Iraqi capital on January 4.

“A part of our military in Iraq has already been relocated,” said Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday in his first reaction after the drone strike that killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, who was accused by Washington of planning attacks against the US.

Romania’s Defence Ministry earlier announced the “temporary suspension” of Romania’s “mission of instruction of Iraqi troops”.

According to the ministry, “the 14 Romanian military personnel who were on a mission in Iraq” were to be “temporarily relocated to another base of the [NATO] coalition”.

“Romania remains firmly committed to the battle against international terrorism,” said the Defence Ministry in a statement that also voiced Bucharest’s willingness to redeploy its military personnel in Iraq in line with “the evolution of the situation in the area”.

Meanwhile, the Croatian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that, in line with the NATO alliance’s decision to relocate its mission from Iraq to Kuwait, members of the Croatian Army have been moved from Baghdad to Kuwait.

Fourteen Croatian troops were relocated to Kuwait and seven members of a second Croatian contingent, whose mission is over, will return to Croatia.

“We are monitoring the security situation with our allies and appropriate decisions will be made in coordination with the allies,” the Croatian Defence Ministry said.

Neighbouring Slovenia, also an EU member, said however that its six soldiers in Iraq are staying there. They are posted at the Erbil base in northern Iraq, deployed in a German-led international operation called Inherent Resolve.

The Slovenian Defence Ministry said on Tuesday that it is constantly monitoring the situation, and will make decisions based on further developments.

The Slovenian Press Agency, STA, reported that Slovenian President Borut Pahor said on Monday that he is “in favour of a de-escalation of tensions on all sides”.

Countries like Germany, Italy and Britain have removed some of their troops from Iraq as NATO has announced the suspension of all training to Iraqi forces.

An official document in which the US Defence Department informed Baghdad that the US was “repositioning forces” for “movement out of Iraq” sparked international headlines about the start of an American withdrawal from Iraq.

However, Washington then called the letter “a draft” that “should not have been released”.

“There’s been no decision made to leave Iraq, period,” Defence Secretary Mark Esper said.

“There is no decision to leave, nor did we issue any plans to leave,” Esper insisted.

Following the killing of Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, declared a terrorist organisation by Washington, the regime in Tehran has threatened massive retaliation against the US.

US President Donald Trump has warned meanwhile that he could launch strikes on 52 key sites in Iran if Tehran begins reprisals.