NATO withdraws from Iraq as Trump calls alliance “cowards”

Nothing is more permanent than the temporary, therefore NATO security officials who announced the “temporary withdrawal” of their mission from Iraq may be proven wrong by reality. The North Atlantic Alliance is in a state of “adjustment” regarding the deployment of its mission at this specific location. This was stated on Friday, March 20, by North Atlantic Alliance spokesperson Alison Hart. She further emphasized in an official announcement: “We can confirm that we are adjusting our deployment within the framework of the NATO Mission in Iraq. The security of our personnel is of utmost importance.” No details were provided for security reasons, as Hart noted. Although she emphasized that NATO will remain close to Iraq both in terms of political dialogue and at a practical level, “including through the NATO Mission in Iraq,” the retreat comes at a time when Donald Trump characterizes the entire alliance as “cowards” and uses the legendary Mao Zedong’s term, “paper tiger”, to describe it.

NATO: Only Turks and Romanians remain

NATO’s announcement states that “the entire mission has been withdrawn“. However, Turks and Romanians remained as an exception, as confirmed by an Iranian security official. Indeed, 45 American military personnel also made a swift exit from the Iraq base in Baghdad, where NATO’s non-combat mission has been stationed for nearly 8 years, since 2018. “This is a temporary withdrawal. They are concerned about the situation,” an Iraqi official told the French news agency, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They informed the government and there is no disagreement” with Iraqi authorities, he added. According to a well-informed source, they are being transferred outside Iraq.

“The mission continues but is being relocated” confirmed a source within the French general staff. This information is accurate when one considers that for the past 10 months, since May 2025, this particular NATO mission has been commanded by a French general. The North Atlantic Alliance’s non-combat mission in Iraq was created to provide advice and strengthen Iraqi military and security capabilities. According to NATO, it includes “several hundred” personnel from various Alliance member countries, as well as Austria and Australia. Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, pro-Iranian armed groups in Iraq have launched attacks against the American presence in the country, targeting bases housing military personnel, diplomatic missions, and oil facilities.