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The Bundeswehr continues to participate in the anti-IS coalition
Photo: PATRIK STOLLARZ / AFP
The new federal government made up of the SPD, the Greens and the FDP wants to extend the deployment of German soldiers in Iraq by a new mandate by nine months. After the Bundeswehr has already stopped its reconnaissance flights in Syrian airspace, the country is now to be formally excluded as an operational area. The upper limit of 500 soldiers should be received by October 31, 2022, according to a letter from Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) to the parliamentary group leaders in the Bundestag. The federal cabinet wants to deal with the draft mandate in Berlin on Wednesday.
In Iraq, the Bundeswehr is making a contribution to the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS). »The volatile security situation remains tense, particularly due to the ongoing threat from IS. The ongoing asymmetrical actions of IS forces represent a considerable challenge for the stabilization and reconstruction of the areas liberated from IS ", the ministers said in the letter:" The threat posed by the terrorist organization retains its cross-border character. "
The Iraqi partners had confirmed their wish for further international and German support.
"The Bundeswehr continues to support the fight of the international anti-IS coalition against IS by providing capabilities for air refueling, air transport, air surveillance and situation mapping, as well as staff," the letter said.
At the same time, German training and advice to the Iraqi armed forces as part of the NATO mission is to be continued.
The fight against IS continues
As part of the international anti-IS coalition, the Bundeswehr provides abilities for refueling, air transport and airspace surveillance as well as advice on building the Iraqi army. Around 140 German soldiers are currently deployed in Jordan, almost 100 in Iraq - most of them in Erbil.
In the medium term, there could be an end to air refueling from Jordan, which is almost exclusively used by the French partner. “The French find this very helpful. But: The Air Force only delivers three percent of the total amount of fuel in the air. Is it worth sending an A400M to Jordan for this? You have to ask this question, «said the chairman of the defense committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, of the German press agency. The FDP politician accompanied Lambrecht on a trip to Jordan and Iraq over the weekend.
Nevertheless, the Jordanian air force base Al-Asrak will remain an important stepping stone for the German armed forces, especially since the US armed forces increased their presence in Jordan after the withdrawal of combat troops from Iraq. “The Americans are going to set up a big camp in Jordan after leaving Iraq. That'll be up to 6,000 soldiers, ”said Strack-Zimmermann. The US is interested in cooperating and possibly merging certain units.
The question is what will become of the support for the Kurdish forces in Iraq, said Strack-Zimmermann.
“The Kurds are of course very interested in the presence.
They are very concerned that the West is going out bit by bit and that the pressure is growing - from Turkey and from IS. "IS has regenerated itself and there is a risk that it will attract young people.
"I advocate that we continue to participate in the fight against IS," said Strack-Zimmermann.
"If the IS is not fought, we will have a problem here in Europe."
Dispute in Syria
The fact that Syria was deleted as a place of deployment also enables the approval of the Green parliamentary group because the Bundeswehr deployment in Iraq is clearly covered by international law, according to coalition circles. In contrast to Iraq, the German government in Syria has not received an invitation from the government there.
CDU / CSU parliamentary group vice-president Johann Wadephul was relieved by the decision to extend the deployment in Iraq.
"This is important for our partners and security in the region, important for our reliability and solidarity in the alliance and our international responsibility in the United Nations," said Wadephul.
However, the mandate raises questions about the Greens' change of course.
If Defense Minister Lambrecht stressed during her visit to Iraq that the terrorism there also threatened us, it was also unclear why Syria was now being excluded.
atb / dpa / Reuters
