The Hungarian Defence Forces are to contribute more troops to counter-ISIS mission

In the fight against the terrorist organization that calls itself Islamic State, the Iraqi government turned to the UN member states for help in June 2014. At the request of the United States – on the basis of a decision made by the National Assembly – Hungary joined the multinational mission in 2015. The proposal, approved by the National Assembly in 2015, was about the stationing of a maximum 150-strong Hungarian contingent in Iraq – which would have a strength of 300 soldiers in rotation periods – with a mandate running until 31 December 2017.

The draft resolution submitted to the National Assembly on Wednesday specifies that the Hungarian Defence Forces are going to station in the area of the Republic of Iraq an at most 200-strong military contingent (400-strong in periods of rotations) with the necessary technological assets, weapons and equipment, which would perform partnership building, military assistance and advising, force protection and troop escort tasks.

In the general explanation of the proposal, Minister of Defence István Simicskó noted that the extremist Sunni terrorist organization called Islamic State conquered significant areas in the eastern part of Syria and the Sunni-populated north-western part of Iraq in 2014. Due to the conflict, approximately three million people have become internally displaced persons (IDPs), and at least 220,000 people left the country. He added in addition to triggering a wave of migration that has reached the European Union too, the terrorist organization has recruited a significant number of Western European citizens and carried out acts of terror in the region, in the area of the European Union and in the United States of America.

Led by the United States of America, the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS was formed in 2014 and was subsequently joined by more than 60 nations. The broad international coalition carries out air strikes against the bases of the Islamic State, and trains and arms the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF).

Hungary sent a military contingent to the Kurdistan Training Coordination Centre (KTCC) in Erbil, Northern Iraq in August 2015. The currently 142-strong Hungarian Defence Forces Iraqi Training Support Contingent “successfully performs its capacity-building and support tasks", the minister wrote, adding that in parallel with the expansion of the training activity, the coalition has already requested “further capabilities and the lifting of national caveats concerning the contingent" on several occasions.

The minister wrote that “in order to promote our security and defence policy interests and to stop illegal migration", it is in Hungary’s particular interest to improve the situation in Iraq and to further contribute to the stabilization of the Republic of Iraq. “In view of this, it has been proposed that we continue our participation in the Iraqi stabilization, by increasing our troop contribution and expanding our presence to the entire area of the Republic of Iraq with a extended mandate running until 31 December 2019", the minister wrote.

The approval of the draft resolution requires a two-third vote of the members of Parliament present.