NATO will end a police and army training mission in Iraq by the end of the year, the head of the alliance announced on Monday.
"Agreement on the extension of this successful programme did not prove possible, despite robust negotiations conducted over several weeks," NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement, DPA reported.
Since its launch in 2004 - in the wake of the US-led invasion of Iraq - the NATO mission has trained more than 5,000 Iraqi soldiers 10,000 police officers and provided more than 115 million euros (152 million dollars) in military equipment, Rasmussen said.
The NATO chief said the alliance was ready to "build on the success and the spirit" of its mission, "to further strengthen our partnership and political relationship with Iraq."
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