Peregraf
In response to rising tensions between India and Pakistan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has ordered the immediate return of 500 soldiers currently undergoing training in Pakistan, the Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday.
The contingent—part of the Second Regiment of the 66th Brigade under Iraq’s Second Special Forces Division—had been in Pakistan as part of a bilateral training program. However, the Iraqi government cited the “current situation in Pakistan” and concerns for troop safety as the reason for the withdrawal.
The move follows weeks of escalating hostilities between India and Pakistan, triggered by a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. The two nuclear-armed neighbors are facing their most serious military standoff in decades, prompting international calls for de-escalation.