Germany and the Netherlands have suspended military training operations in Iraq as the U.S. warned of increased threats from Iran-backed forces amid heightened tensions in the region.
A German defense ministry spokesman said Berlin had no indications of its own of any impending attacks on Western interests by Iran and said the training programs could resume in the coming days.
Germany has 160 soldiers involved in training Iraqi forces trying to contain Islamic State militants and the Netherlands has 169 military and civilian personnel in Iraq who are helping to train Kurdish troops.
The announcements came after the U.S. put troops on high alert and removed non-emergency diplomatic staff from Iraq.
