BERLIN - The United States and its allies have suspended training of Iraqi forces because of the increased threat they face after a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad on Friday killed a top Iranian general, the German military said in a letter seen by Reuters.



In the letter to German lawmakers, a senior German officer said U.S. Lieutenant General Pat White had decided to further increase the level of protection for the forces deployed in Iraq under Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), which he commands.



"Thus, the training for the Iraqi security and armed forces throughout Iraq is temporarily suspended," German Lieutenant General Erich Pfeffer wrote to members of the Bundestag defense and foreign relations committees in the letter, dated January 3.



"The directive is binding for all partner nations involved in OIR at the training sites in Iraq," he added.