Germany may allow deployment of German soldiers in Syria end of this year to fight Islamic State 12911153

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Defence & Security News - Germany
 
Germany may allow deployment of German soldiers in Syria end of this year to fight Islamic State
Germany may allow for the deployment of German forces to fight the Islamic State terror group in Syria by the end of the year, with troops likely to be sent to the region soon after the green light is given, the Chief of Staff of the German armed forces said Sunday, November 29, 2015
     
Germany may allow for the deployment of German forces to fight the Islamic State terror group in Syria by the end of the year, with troops likely to be sent to the region soon after the green light is given, the Chief of Staff of the German armed forces said Sunday, November 29, 2015 A German army soldier Explosive Ordnance Disposal trainer teaches Malian soldiers how to use mine detectors as part of the European Training Mission in Mali in July 2013.
     
Volker Wieker, Germany’s top general, told Bild am Sonntag that some 1,200 personnel would be needed to support German air campaign in Syria. He told a newspaper that troops would mainly be involved in reconnaissance operations.

He added that troops would be sent to Syria quickly once parliament had approved a mandate for the operation, meaning soldiers could be deployed as soon as the end of this year. It is yet to be decided how long German military involvement will last.

According to Wieker, the German military could sent up to six Tornado jets to provide intelligence support in the fight against ISIL militants in Syria. They could be stationed in Jordan or Turkey, with a frigate guarding France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean.

The German government announced on Thursday that it would make available Tornado reconnaissance planes and a frigate for the fight against "IS."

The planned German military involvement in response to France’s call for more countries to help fight the militants after the Paris attacks would see troops provide service support to ships and reconnaissance planes, but would not include direct combat.

Some few days ago, Germany has announced the deployment of 650 German soldiers to Mali to help with the peacekeeping mission in the country. Germany currently has nine soldiers in Mali taking part in the UN-led Minusuma mission and 200 as part of the European Union Training Mission.

Germany is planning to increase the number of soldiers training Kurdish peshmerga forces combating the Islamic State in Iraq to 150 from 100.