NATO launches planning for expanded Iraq military training

BRUSSELS – NATO's chief says the alliance plans to expand its military training mission in Iraq and help the conflict-ravaged country develop new academies and schools for its armed forces.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that "we will scale up," but he declined to say how many personnel the effort would involve or where it would operate.

But NATO diplomats suggest the expanded mission could involve up to 200 personnel. The diplomats declined to be identified because the effort is still in the planning stages.

The training would happen in the capital Baghdad, other Iraqi other cities and even in neighboring countries like Jordan. Germany's defense minister mentioned the possibility that some might happen in the northern city of Erbil.