Australia, NZ train 30,000 Iraqi troops

The Australian and New Zealand armies have jointly trained more than 30,000 Iraqi troops battling Islamic State militants.

An Australian Army soldier coaches Iraqi Security Forces.

Australian and New Zealand soldiers have trained more than 30,000 Iraqi troops to fight IS. (AAP)

Australian and New Zealand soldiers have trained more than 30,000 Iraqi troops in the fight against Islamic State militants since 2015.

The two armies reached the milestone this week when 900 Iraqis completed their training.

Some of the graduates have been involved in clearing and holding Mosul, which was the defacto IS Iraqi capital, as well as security and clearance operations across Iraq provinces.

Training includes weapons handling, marksmanship, explosive-hazard awareness, combat first aid, urban operations including building clearances, obstacle breaching techniques, vehicle checkpoints, combat leadership and the employment of joint fires.

More than 300 Australian and 100 New Zealand military personnel are deployed at any one time at the Taji base, north of Baghdad.

There is some speculation NZ could pull out of the arrangement in November, following a review by Prime Minister Jacinda Adern's new Labour government.

At its peak, the so-called IS caliphate controlled most of eastern Syria and about one-third of Iraq's territory.

Iraq's prime minister declared victory over the militant group late last year.

Australia last month brought home its six Super Hornet fighter jets after ceasing air strike operations against IS in Iraq and Syria.


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Source: AAP


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