Kurdistan's President welcomes the German decision to keep troops in Iraq

2022-01-12 11:56

Shafaq News/ The President of Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, welcomed the German government's decision to extend the deployment of its forces in Iraq.

"I welcome and commend German cabinet's decision to extend its troops deployment to Iraq, and hope that the Bundestag will follow suit." Barzani said on Twitter.

"ISIS is still a threat to international peace and security, and continued collective effort is required to counter and eradicate terror." He added.

Earlier today, The German government decided to keep its troops in Iraq until at least the end of October.

On Wednesday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Cabinet also decided to end Germany's military role in Syria.

The Bundeswehr supports regional efforts against the "Islamic State" in Iraq, providing military training, reconnaissance jets, and tanker aircraft for air-to-air refueling. Most of Germany's soldiers in Iraq are stationed in the northern Kurdish region of the country. The Bundeswehr's mandate for operations in Iraq allows for stationing up to 500 soldiers in Iraq.

The German military will provide "air refueling, air transport, air surveillance, and situational awareness capabilities as well as staff," according to Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht.

In Syria, German military jets flew reconnaissance missions until March 2020. Wednesday's Cabinet decision removes Syria from the list of countries where the Bundeswehr is permitted to operate.

The Cabinet's decisions still needed to be approved by the German parliament.

https://shafaq.com/en/Kurdistan/Kurdistan-s-President-welcomes-the-German-decision-to-keep-troops-in-Iraq