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The Dutch military mission to Iraq ended on 7 March 2005. The
1,100-strong military mission was part of the Iraq Stabilization Force (SFIR)
and was stationed in the province of Al-Muthanna in southern Iraq.
The first Dutch contingent of 300 troops left for Iraq on 10 July 2003. The
mission helped to restore security and stability in Iraq and contributed to
humanitarian assistance and reconstruction. It also helped enable the Iraqi
people to govern themselves as soon as possible.
The basis for the Dutch military contribution lay in United Nations resolution 1483, which calls on all member states to help reconstruct Iraq. Twenty countries pledged troops for the Stabilization Force.
The Dutch troops fell under the command of the British division, which controlled southern Iraq. The British therefore determined their tasks and priorities. The decision to withdraw Dutch troops from Iraq was, however, taken by the Dutch government.
The government considered Al-Muthanna as a potentially dangerous province. But it believed that the Stabilization Force had enough resources to respond to any upsurge of violence. If armed conflict did arise, the Dutch troops were able to call on the British division's assistance.
In the course of 2005, the Iraqis will be taking over the task of reconstructing their country. To this end, in 2004, Dutch military instructors trained some 2,800 Iraqi security personnel. By March 2005, Iraqi security institutions should have taken over control of the region and from then on, the multinational force would only provide assistance at the request of the Iraqis.
Although the Dutch mission has now ended, the Dutch government will be deploying a number of service personnel for a Nato training mission.