Germany to continue training Peshmerga in 2017

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Germany’s Bundeswehr has decided to extents its military support for the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces for another year.

The united armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany, known as Bundeswehr, declared in a statement on Wednesday that its troops are to continue training Kurdish and Iraqi soldiers.

The statement added that the German government has decided to extend the assignment in the Kurdistan Region, stating that “Germany is thus stepping up its fight against the terrorist organization," referring to the Islamic State (IS).

According to the statement, up to 150 German soldiers are based in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region, and have been training Peshmerga and Iraqi armed forces for the last two years.

“The Bundeswehr’s mandate is to be extended until 31 January 2018. The motion of the German government must still be approved by the German Bundestag [Parliament],” the statement read.

Since September 2014 Germany has reportedly sent more than 2,000 tons of weapons in more than 30 shipments.

The supplied weapons, ammunition and equipment worth over 90 million euros (nearly 95 million US dollar) to the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga, “including non-lethal equipment for the Iraqi government; such as radio equipment, helmets, and first aid materials,” the statement added.

Recently, the German Defense Ministry in coordination with the KRG’s Peshmerga Ministry started training the first group of Peshmerga as part of chemical defense division at the German military academy in Sonthofen, southern Germany.

Kurdish government signed a contract with Germany to not hand over any German arms to third parties.

Editing by Ava Homa