• Mission will continue operations from Naples regional command.
• Nato says move temporary due to evolving threat environment.
• Iraq agrees redeployment, no disagreement over withdrawal: official.
  

Nato’s mission in Iraq has been fully relocated to Europe because of the Middle East war, the alliance said, with the last staff from a non-combat force of several hundred leaving the country on Friday.

The mission was in an Iraqi military base in Baghdad’s Green Zone near the US embassy, which has been targeted several times since the start of the US-Israeli war with Iran three weeks ago.

A statement from the alliance’s European command said: “Nato Mission Iraq has adjusted its posture, safely relocating all its personnel from the Middle East to Europe.”

Nato’s mission in Iraq provides assistance, advice and training to the Iraqi security forces involved in counterterrorism operations, aiming in particular to prevent any resurgence of Daesh group.

The mission will continue to operate from Nato’s regional command in the Italian city of Naples, the alliance said.

General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe, offered thanks to the Iraqi government and allies “who assisted in the safe relocation of Nato personnel from Iraq.”

“I would also like to thank the dedicated men and women of Nato Mission Iraq, who continued their mission throughout this period. They are true professionals,” he said.

Nato said earlier Friday it was “adjusting” its mission in Iraq, with a French military source confirming the force was being temporarily relocated because of the regional war.

Alliance spokesperson Allison Hart emphasised that “Nato and Iraq’s political dialogue and practical cooperation, including through Nato Mission Iraq, will continue”.

According to its website, the mission established in 2018 currently has several hundred personnel from Nato allies and from partner countries Austria and Australia.

It has been headed since May 2025 by General Christophe Hintzy from France.

“A decision was taken to relocate them in line with Nato’s posture regarding non-combat missions,” a French military source told AFP. “Given the current threat environment, it is less relevant to keep them in place.”

An Iraqi security official told AFP there had been “no disagreement” with Iraq’s government regarding the redeployment, calling it a “temporary withdrawal” in light of the Mideast security situation.

• China says ‘armed conflict will only breed new hatred’.
• Calls for ceasefire amid rising energy cost concerns.
• Chinese foreign minister says ‘unjust war should not go on’.

China called for an end to the war in the Middle East on Friday, warning of the impact on global energy, shipping and trade, with the nearly three-week-old conflict showing no sign of slowing.

“History and reality have repeatedly shown the world that force is not the solution to problems and armed conflict will only breed new hatred,” Lin Jian, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said when asked whether Beijing had a message for Muslim communities as they mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

The “still widening war” in the Middle East harms the common interests of all countries, Lin said, repeating Beijing’s position that all sides in the Gulf conflict should cease fighting and that energy flows from the region should be unimpeded.

The remarks came on the 23rd anniversary of the Iraq War, which began in 2003 when US-led forces invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, partly on claims that his government possessed weapons of mass destruction.

That war resulted in years of chaos and instability and created a power vacuum that led to the rise of militant group, Daesh.

“The unjust war should not go on,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the French president’s top diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne in a call later on Friday.

As a fellow UN Security Council member, France should step up strategic coordination with China and “prevent other countries from becoming further involved” in the conflict, he said. Wang has spoken with counterparts from every permanent member of the Security Council except the United States since the war began.

Analysts say the conflict gives Beijing an opportunity to cast itself as the more reliable superpower.

The war has led to a meeting between Xi and US President Donald Trump being delayed for about a month and a half. Trump’s China trip had been seen as a chance for a reset in relations between the two economic superpowers that have been rattled by US tariffs.

• Sri Lankan president says planes carried anti-ship missiles.
• US had made the request to Sri Lanka govt on February 26.
• Dissanayake says US wanted to land aircraft in southern Sri Lanka.
  

Sri Lanka declined permission for two US combat aircraft to land at a civilian airport earlier this month, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake told parliament on Friday.

The US had requested permission for the two aircraft to land at the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport in the southern part of the country from March 4-8, Dissanayake told lawmakers.

“They wanted to bring two warplanes armed with eight anti-ship missiles from a base in Djibouti,” he said during a statement.

“We turned down the request to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality,” he added to applause from parliamentarians.

The US had made the request on February 26. The same day Iran requested three of its ships to make a goodwill visit to Sri Lanka from March 9-13 after participating in an Indian naval exercise. That request was also denied.

The US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, leading to a regional war that has severely restricted energy supplies and rattled markets.

“We were considering this request. Had we said ‘yes’ to Iran, we would have had to say ‘yes’ to the US as well,” he added.

Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian crew off IRIS Dena on March 4 after it was torpedoed by a US submarine, in an attack that killed at least 84.

A second ship, IRIS Booshehr, and its crew were rescued by the Sri Lankan navy after it developed technical issues just beyond the island nation’s territorial waters.

US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia Sergio Gor is currently visiting Sri Lanka and met Dissanayake on Thursday.

Sri Lanka, which is recovering from a severe financial crisis that peaked in 2022 and was caused by a shortfall of dollars, faces a supply squeeze linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The US is Sri Lanka’s largest export market while Iran is one of its key tea buyers.