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NATO not planning to take part in combat operations in Syria, Iraq — Stoltenberg

However the organization will provide support with AWACS surveillance planes to the international coalition fighting ISIL

BRUSSELS, October 5. /TASS/. NATO will not participate in combat operations in Syria and Iraq, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a conference on Afghanistan on Wednesday.

"NATO will not be part of combat operations. We have already started training Iraqi officers in Jordan, we will soon start to train Iraqi officers in Iraq, and we will also start to provide support with AWACS surveillance planes to the international coalition fighting ISIL," Stoltenberg said.

Speaking about the alliance’s actions in Afghanistan, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO believes it is more important to provide assistance to Kabul in ensuring the country’s security. "As you know we have ended our combat operations in Afghanistan so what we do now is support the Afghan forces," he said in a doorstep statement before the European Union-hosted Brussels conference on Afghanistan.