At a news conference on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis announced a new NATO training mission for Iraq. Although details weren’t revealed, the mission is to help stabilize Iraq, so the country can retain control against future threats.
Finland, Germany, and Sweden are supporting a plan to train Peshmerga forces so they can become part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
In southern Iraq, tensions over water supplies have increased and caused tribal disputes.
At least 23 people were killed, and six more were wounded in recent violence:
In Mosul, two civilians were shot dead.
A bomb in Baghdad wounded two people.
A school guard was injured repelling an attack in Abu Saida.
In Badush, security forces killed 17 militants. Three security personnel were wounded.
Security forces killed three militants in Makhmour.
An ISIS emir died of wounded received in a Waqf Basin airstrike last week.
Several militants were killed trying to cross the Syrian border at Tal Safuk.
