Kurdistan PM thanks German government for extending army mission in Iraq
"Germany's support in 2014 helped our Peshmerga turn the tide against the terror group."
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani thanked the German government on Wednesday for extending its army mission in Iraq.
"I thank the German govt for its leadership today in extending the Bundeswehr mission in Iraq," he said in a tweet.
"Germany's support in 2014 helped our Peshmerga turn the tide against the terror group. ISIS is still a serious shared threat, and I urge the Bundestag (the German parliament) to renew the mandate."
Read More: Kurdistan President welcomes German decision to extend troop presence in Iraq
Also, on Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani welcomed the German government's decision to keep its troops in Iraq until at least the end of October, a move the German parliament is yet to ratify.
Germany is part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS). It trained and supplied the Kurdish Peshmerga forces with military equipment, including MILAN anti-tank missiles during the height of the war against ISIS. It's also a member of the NATO mission in Baghdad.
Germany has deployed around 100 soldiers in the fight against ISIS.
A number of German soldiers are still stationed in the Kurdistan Region. On Jan. 9, the German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht visited the German armed forces in Erbil and met with President Barzani.
Read More: German defense minister praises Kurdistan's role in anti-ISIS fight
Kurdish leaders have repeatedly warned foreign officials that ISIS is still a threat in Iraq. They've also emphasized that the factors that led to the group's emergence in Iraq remain unresolved.
Read More: Masoud Barzani: ISIS threat remains because initial factors remain unresolved
ISIS still carries out regular attacks in the disputed territories between Baghdad and Erbil.
In late November, ISIS ramped up attacks that killed several people, including Peshmerga and civilians of the Kurdistan Region.
According to the official position of the German government, ISIS is also far from being defeated.
"It still poses a serious threat, which is why the German government is determined to continue its comprehensive civilian and military engagement," the German federal government said in 2020.
