Germany: MPs approve non-combat military missions against Islamic State in Syria
The German parliament has voted in support of a motion for the German military to join the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State in Syria.
Germany will send Tornado jets, the naval frigate Sachsen, and 1,200 soldiers to the region as part of the controversial plans. The operation will be Germany’s biggest current military operation and will cost an estimated €134m (£97m) for the first year.
Alongside the new mission in Syria, Germany will also deploy a further 50 troops to Iraq, where they already have 100 troops training and supplying arms to Kurdish Peshmerga forces.
The move follows a plea from French president Francois Hollande for France’s European allies to join the fight against IS militants in the wake of the Paris terror attacks that left 130 people dead and more than 350 injured.
On Wednesday, British MPs voted to expand its aerial presence in the region to launch air strikes against IS targets in Syria. The RAF has been bombing IS targets within Iraq for more than a year with the full support of the Iraqi government.
Last month, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on all UN member states to “take all necessary measures” to “prevent and suppress terrorist acts” committed by IS, al-Qaeda and affiliated “terrorist” groups.