Italian defense minister in Iraq for Mosul dam talks
Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Monday to discuss logistics for deploying 450 troops near the front line with Islamic State to protect workers carrying out repairs to the Mosul dam. Pinotti met in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, according to a statement from his office. She later […]Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Monday to discuss logistics for deploying 450 troops near the front line with Islamic State to protect workers carrying out repairs to the Mosul dam.
Pinotti met in Baghdad with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, according to a statement from his office. She later traveled to Erbil, the Kurdish regional capital 115 km (70 miles) east of Mosul dam, Italian defense forces said.
Italy has about 750 soldiers in Iraq, mostly training Iraqi army and police in Baghdad and Erbil, but the new troops will be deployed not far from Islamic State-held Mosul, less than 20 km away from the dam, in a potential combat zone.
The Iraqi government signed a $296-million contract in February with Italy's Trevi Group to make badly needed upgrades to the 3.6-km-long (2.2-mile) Mosul dam, which has suffered from structural flaws since it was built in the 1980s.
