Germany Approves Joining Military Campaign Against ISIS In Syria
Lawmakers voted to provide military assistance in the form of reconnaissance jets and up to 1,200 troops.
Berlin's Reichstag building, which houses Germany's Bundestag lower house of parliament, Dec. 1.
John Macdougall / AFP / Getty Images
The German parliament on Friday approved a controversial plan for the country's military join the fight against ISIS in Syria.
Lawmakers agreed to provide military assistance in the form of reconnaissance jets and up to 1,200 personnel by 445 votes to 146, the Associated Press reported.
The cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel had crafted a plan to provide greater support to the anti-ISIS coalition in the region in the wake of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks. Ministers believe Germany could be high on ISIS's terror target list, according to the BBC.
The plans include sending up to six Tornado reconnaissance planes and tanker aircraft, in addition to a frigate, which will help protect France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in the eastern Mediterranean.
A statement from the German army said the 1,200 troops will comprise 150 service personnel focusing on refueling, 400–500 on training, 300 on protection at sea, and around 50 additional support staff.
Two German Tornados and a tanker are likely to be sent to the Incirlik airbase in Turkey next week, with the frigate following a short while later, AP said. The jets won't be fully operational until January.
Earlier this week, Germany's Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen addressed the threat of ISIS, saying: "I would not have imagined two years ago what sort of an abyss we would be staring into," the BBC reported.
Just hours after the conclusion of a 10-hour debate approving the action in the U.K. parliament on Wednesday, British fighter jets launched their first airstrikes against ISIS in Syria on Thursday.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble attend debates prior to a vote on Germany's participation in a coalition-led military intervention in Syria.
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LINK: British Aircraft Bomb ISIS-Controlled Oilfields In Syria