Germany ends military mission in Syria while extending it in Iraq

Karwan Faidhi Dri

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Germany decided on Wednesday to end its military mission in Syria while keeping up to 500 soldiers in Iraq, reported state media. 

The German government convened on Wednesday, deciding to end the mission of its army, Bundeswehr, in Syria but the force will continue supporting Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) until the end of October, according to Deutsche Welle. 

Germany has been an essential member of the global coalition against ISIS. The Coalition was formally established in October 2014, after ISIS took control of vast swathes of territories in Iraq and Syria. Consisting of 84 nations, the US-led Coalition’s mission has been “degrading and ensuring Daesh’s enduring defeat,” it says on its website, using Arabic acronym for the extremist group. 

The combat mission of the Coalition ended in Iraq at the end of the last year but it continues in Syria. German army has been mostly based in Kurdish areas of both countries. 

The Bundeswehr will provide "air refueling, air transport, air surveillance and situational awareness capabilities as well as staff" to Iraqi forces, DW quoted Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht as saying. 

The cabinet decisions have to be approved by the German parliament. 

The decisions came days after Lambrecht visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The newly-appointed minister discussed ISIS with Iraqi and Kurdish officials. 

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the extension of the German army’s deployment to Iraq. “ISIS is still a threat to International peace and security, and continued collective effort is required to counter and eradicate terror,” he said in a tweet. 

In late October 2020, Germany’s parliament decided to keep forces in Iraq as part of the global coalition and NATO’s training mission until January 2022. The parliament reviews its commitment to the military missions annually. In 2020, it approved extending the mandate for a year, but reduced its total number of troops across the Middle East from 800 to 700.