The Federal Government does not want to participate in the establishment of an international special forces unit to fight Islamists in Mali. Germany has already refused two requests from France for support for a "Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force", the Ministry of Defense further informed at a small request from the FDP faction. The document is available to the dpa news agency.
A number of armed groups are active in the countries of the Sahel region - an area that extends south of the Sahara from the Atlantic to the Red Sea - some of whom have sworn allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) or al-Qaeda terror organizations.
Jihadists can "act without restrictions"
The Department of Defense draws a grim picture of the security situation in the region in the classified paper. The threat is characterized by jihadist groups and organized crime. Jihadists have "extensive freedom of movement" and could "act without restrictions".
Despite international support, Malian security forces regularly reached their limits, it is said. The operational value of the joint force of the G5 Sahel states Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad is currently low.
France is targeting Islamist terrorists with the Barkhane force in Mali and other countries in the Sahel. It has around 4,500 soldiers. Up to 1100 Bundeswehr soldiers are also deployed in Mali. They are part of the EU training mission EUTM Mali and the UN mission Minusma to stabilize the country. This is considered the most dangerous deployment of the Bundeswehr.