ISTANBUL

Italy's defense minister has said that a recent attack near the Iraqi city of Erbil deliberately targeted a military base hosting NATO forces but caused no damage to the Italian contingent stationed there.

Guido Crosetto said on Thursday that Italian troops had taken precautionary measures ahead of the incident and were already in protected areas when the attack occurred.

“The Italian contingent at the Erbil base had been warned of the possibility of an attack and had implemented all security measures since 8.30 am, so they had entered protected areas,” Crosetto said in an interview with Italy’s TG1 news program.

“As a result, there was no damage to the contingent. It was an absolutely deliberate attack,” he added.

Crosetto noted that the base in Erbil, which hosts NATO and US forces, has previously been targeted.

“That is a NATO base, so it is also an American base. Incidents or attempted attacks had already occurred in recent days,” he said.

He said Italy had already begun to reduce its personnel in the region as tensions escalated.

According to Crosetto, 102 personnel have already returned to Italy from the mission, while around 40 others have been relocated to Jordan.

For the remaining 141 personnel, a withdrawal plan was already being prepared, although the process is complex due to logistical constraints.

“It is not possible to send a plane directly, so the return must be carried out by land, probably via Türkiye,” he said.

Crosetto stressed that any troop relocation would be temporary and did not represent a larger withdrawal from the region.

“This war increasingly demonstrates that stabilizing these areas is crucial, because every time the region flares up, waves of damage reach our homes,” he said.

“Even if they seem distant, the effects are very close to us in terms of the impact on our daily lives,” the minister added.