Netherlands busy withdrawing soldiers from Iraq, Defense Minister says
The Netherlands is in the process of withdrawing its soldiers from Iraq, Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Sunday evening on the program Café Kockelmann on NPO 1. Around 70 of the 170 Dutch soldiers stuck in Iraq are on their way home.
There are 170 Dutch soldiers in Iraq, participating in a mission aimed at strengthening security and stability in the country since the defeat of the terrorist organization Islamic State in 2019. The Dutch soldiers were soon to be replaced by French soldiers, and 150 were already supposed to have left Iraq.
But the Dutch soldiers got stuck when the airspace was closed due to Israel starting a war with Iran. Concerns for their safety grew after the United States also committed airstrikes on Iran, raising fears that the country would retaliate by attacking Western targets.
About half of the Dutch soldiers whose departure from Iraq had already been planned are now on their way back to the Netherlands, Brekelmans said. The others “may be able to leave a little later,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Dutch armed forces told ANP that 70 soldiers are on their way home.
