Editing Netherlands Armed Forces (section)

=== Iraq ===
==== Multinational force in Iraq ====
A contingent of 1,345 Army and [[Netherlands Marine Corps|Marines Corps]] personnel, supported by [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] helicopters, was deployed to [[Iraq]] in 2003, based at Camp Smitty near [[Samawah|As Samawah]] (southern Iraq) with responsibility for the [[Muthanna Governorate|Muthanna]] Province, as part of the [[Multinational force in Iraq]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nederlands aandeel inzet Irak |trans-title=Dutch contribution to Iraq deployment |language=nl |url=https://www.defensie.nl/onderwerpen/historische-missies/missie-overzicht/2003/inzet-in-irak/nederlands-aandeel |website=www.defensie.nl |date=21 August 2018 |publisher=Ministerie van Defensie |access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref> On June 1, 2004, the Dutch government renewed their stay through 2005.<ref name="nimh" /> The Netherlands removed its troops from Iraq in March 2005, leaving half a dozen liaison officers until late 2005.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nederlandse missie in Irak officieel geëindigd |trans-title=Dutch mission in Iraq officially ended |language=nl |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/nieuws-achtergrond/nederlandse-missie-in-irak-officieel-geeindigd~b33a6053/ |access-date=5 May 2020 |work=[[De Volkskrant]] |agency=ANP |date=7 March 2005}}</ref> The Netherlands lost two soldiers in separate attacks.<ref name="nimh">{{cite web |title=Inzet in Irak |trans-title=Deployment in Iraq |language=nl |url=https://www.defensie.nl/binaries/defensie/documenten/brochures/2009/05/01/inzet-in-irak/inzet-in-irak.pdf |website=www.defensie.nl |publisher=Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie |access-date=5 May 2020}}</ref>

==== Intervention against ISIL ====
{{Main|Dutch military intervention against ISIL}}
[[File:F16 Koninklijke Luchtmacht Air Task Force Middle East.jpg|thumb|The last Dutch F-16 detachment of Air Task Force Middle East returning home from Jordan.]]
On 24 September 2014, the [[Politics of the Netherlands|Dutch government]] announced its participation in the military campaign against [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIL]], and sent six [[General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|F-16 fighter jets]] to Iraq to bomb ISIL. Their motivations to join this war: ISIL's advance in Iraq and [[Syria]], while displaying "unprecedented violence" and "perpetrating terrible crimes against population groups", formed "a direct threat for that region"; ISIL's advance in Iraq and Syria "causes instability at the borders of [[Europe]]" which threatens "our own [Dutch] safety". Figures requested by {{lang|nl|[[RTL Nieuws]]}} in August 2015 showed that the [[Netherlands]] was among the most active countries within the coalition, third behind only the [[United States]] and the [[United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Bombardementen IS: Nederland in top-3 actiefste landen |url=https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/artikel/848221/bombardementen-nederland-top-3-actiefste-landen |access-date=22 January 2021 |work=[[RTL Nieuws]] |date=14 August 2015}}</ref> In January 2016, the Netherlands extended their bombings of ISIL to Syrian territory. By the end of July 2016 the Dutch Air Task Force flew more than 2100 missions and carried out over 1800 air strikes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defensie.nl/english/topics/iraq/contents/dutch-military-contribution |title=Dutch military contribution in Iraq |website=defensie.nl |access-date=9 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201172657/https://www.defensie.nl/english/topics/iraq/contents/dutch-military-contribution |archive-date=1 February 2017}}</ref> At the end of the Dutch contribution to the Air Task Force, in December 2018, the [[Royal Netherlands Air Force]] had flown over 3000 missions and conducted approximately 2100 air strikes.<ref>{{cite web |title=F-16-missie Midden-Oosten beëindigd |trans-title=F-16 Middle East mission ended |language=nl |url=https://www.defensie.nl/actueel/nieuws/2018/12/31/f-16-missie-midden-oosten-beeindigd |website=www.defensie.nl |publisher=[[Ministry of Defence (Netherlands)|Ministry of Defence]] |access-date=22 January 2021 |date=31 December 2018}}</ref>

From 2015 until the spring of 2018, KCT and NLMARSOF [[special operations forces]] deployed advice and assist teams to northern Iraq in cooperation with the Belgian [[Special Forces Group (Belgium)|Special Forces Group]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Nederland wil samen met België IS bekampen achter front in Irak |trans-title=The Netherlands wants to fight IS behind the front in Iraq together with Belgium |language=nl |url=https://www.gva.be/cnt/dmf20160909_02461193/nederland-wil-samen-met-belgie-isis-bekampen-achter-front-in-irak |access-date=5 May 2020 |work=[[Gazet van Antwerpen]] |date=9 September 2016}}</ref> During this deployment, they provided support to Kurdish [[Peshmerga]] and [[Iraqi Army]] forces before, during and after operations in the [[International military intervention against ISIL|battle against ISIL]], as part of the [[Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=van Langendonck |first1=Gert |title=Instructeurs leren geharde peshmerga beter schieten |url=https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2017/07/17/instructeurs-leren-geharde-peshmerga-beter-schieten-12131526-a1567020 |access-date=5 May 2020 |work=NRC Handelsblad |date=17 July 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Liberation_of_MS_Taipan.jpg|thumb|left|[[Westland Lynx|Lynx]] helicopter hovering over MV ''Taipan'' during the liberation operation, the boarding team rappelled onto one of the containers aboard the ship.]]