Germany Set to Join Fight Against Islamic State

Germany will commit up to 1,200 soldiers to support the global coalition fighting the militant group under the plan, which requires parliamentary approval. He also said negotiations are underway with Ankara and Amman regarding the possible participation of German Tornado aircraft in reconnaissance missions.

German Defense Minister von der Leyen said on Monday that though the German government continues to believe that Assad should leave office, “there are some elements of Syrian troops which are very capable – as in Iraq, where the training of local troops has taken place successfully”.

On November 25, German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to support France’s anti-IS campaign following the deadly Paris attacks that claimed the lives of 130 people earlier that month.

In London, British Prime Minister David Cameron set a debate for Wednesday on whether the United Kingdom should join in the airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State targets, saying he believes there is “growing support” in Parliament for military action.

“German forces will be deployed primarily in and over the operational territory of the IS terror organization in Syria as well as the territory of states where the government has given its consent, as well as the eastern Mediterranean, Persian Gulf, Red Sea and adjacent seas”, according to the draft.

“From a military point of view, some 1,200 soldiers are expected to be needed to operate the planes and ships”, Mr Wieker, Germany’s highest-ranking soldier, told newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

“The top line is: there will be no cooperation with Assad and no cooperation with troops under his command”, von der Leyen told ARD television.

Britain’s parliament will also vote this week on joining air strikes on Syria.

Officials rejected any suggestion that Germany might cooperate with troops still loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, but left open the possibility that the country’s military might become part of an anti-IS coalition.