Finland to send 50 soldiers to Iraq training Kurdish forces against IS
Xinhua, May 19, 2015 Adjust font size:
Finland is going to sent about 50 soldiers to northern Iraq for training Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting against the Islamic State (IS), Finnish national broadcaster Yle reported on Monday.
The Finnish trainers, which all have experience of operations in Afghanistan, Mali or Somalia before, are to leave for the Kurdistan autonomous region in northern Iraq in August this year, said Yle.
The aim is to assist the Kurdish forces to fight against the extremists, said the report.
Brigadier General Petri Hulkko form the Finnish Defense Forces told Yle that it is mainly a combat training, and the courses will include shooting, small group tactical training, teamwork and leadership.
In order to protect against potential attacks, the Finnish soldiers leaving for Iraq will remain anonymous.
"Peacekeepers on this operation will not show their faces or reveal their names, or give statements to the media," Hulkko was quoted as saying.
According to the Finnish Defense Forces, Finland's dispatch of trainers to Iraq is part of the training mission of the Operation Inherent Resolve, which is an international operation launched in autumn 2014 to combat against IS, based on a UN Security Council resolution. Endit