Germany, Jordan negotiating deployment of troops at anti-IS base

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Negotiations between Germany and Jordan regarding the legal status of German troops are ongoing, according to officials on both sides.

A Jordanian official interviewed by German magazine Der Spiegel said Germany has asked for immunity in Jordan for 250 troops as part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State (IS).

The unnamed Jordanian official said talks with Germany are “subject to international diplomatic rules” and “equal treatment.”

According to a spokesperson for German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, the negotiation process is ongoing as both sides are engaged in “fruitful talks.”

“We already started the deployment…and are expecting to be fully operational by October,” the spokesperson told Der Spiegel.

In June, Germany revealed its troops would pull out of the Incirlik air base in Turkey following a straining of relations between the NATO allies.

The Bundeswehr soldiers were expected to relocate to a new base in Jordan von der Leyen had told the media at the time.

The Defense Minister had informed the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that German forces would be transferred from Turkey to Jordan in July, temporarily halting their mission in the region.

The soldiers fly Tornado surveillance operations over Syria and refueling flights for partner nations in the coalition against IS.

The German Defense Minister had highlighted the importance of a quick transition, underlining the security of German troops was of “paramount importance.”

The move stems from strained diplomatic relations between Turkey and Germany involving a blockade from Ankara that prevented a German Parliamentary delegation from visiting troops at the base.

Editing by G.H. Renaud