BACKGROUND The planned German military mission against Islamic State

Berlin (dpa) - It is one of the most controversial foreign missions in the history of the German military. Up to 1,200 Bundeswehr military personnel are to be deployed against the Islamic State extremist group. The basis for the deployment is a 16-page mandate the German parliament agreed on Friday.Here are its key points:TASKS: Reconnaissance (using Tornado jets and satellites), refuelling of other countries‘ fighter jets, the protection of French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle with a frigate, and the deployment of military personnel to the various headquarters.TROOPS: A maximum of 1,200 soldiers will be deployed. It was not immediately clear how many soldiers were to be deployed in the first instance. There is usually a bit of wiggle room if the situation changes and more personnel are needed.AREA OF OPERATIONS: Troops are to be deployed to areas of Islamic State activity in Syria and to other countries whose governments have given their permission. This currently means Iraq as well as the eastern Mediterranean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf and "adjacent waters."WHO WILL BE BACKED? France, Iraq and the entire anti-IS alliance, currently consisting of more than 60 nations.DURATION: Initially one year until December 31, 2016. If the German government wants to renew the mission, it will need to seek the approval of parliament.COST: The government has calculated the cost for the first year at 134 million euros (146 million dollars). This is significantly less than was set aside for the most critical phase of Germany‘s Afghanistan mission, when more than 1 billion euros was spent.LEGAL BASIS: The collective right of self-defence set out in the UN‘s charter, resolutions by the UN security council calling for action against Islamic State and France‘s call for help on the basis of the European Union treaty. International legal experts like Hans-Joachim Heintze of the University of Bochum, however, have called the situation a "legal grey area."