Defence minister François Bausch (déi Gréng) on Monday gave an overview of the army’s missions to lawmakers. A group of 20 soldiers were deployed to Mali in May as part of a European Union Training Mission. Additional troops are taking part in a UN operation in Mali and four soldiers are taking part in Nato’s enhanced forward presence in Lithuania.

In total, 28 Luxembourg soldiers are currently stationed outside the country. None of them are engaged in combat missions with Luxembourg fulfilling training and support roles.

Two soldiers in May returned from Afghanistan as Nato began withdrawing its troops from the country.

Luxembourg plans to deploy one officer and one non-commissioned officer to Iraq, Bausch told lawmakers, who must approve the mission. The troops from the grand duchy would help train local security forces during a two-year mission.

In addition to military engagement, the grand duchy is participating in two civilian missions, with a police officer supporting training of local law enforcement in Kiev, Ukraine, and another working in Ramallah supporting police strategy in the West Bank city.