Germany to send reconnaissance aircraft to Syria

“We will be stronger than the terror, ‘ she said, pledging to stand ‘at France’s side”.

The moves follow attacks by Islamic extremists in Paris on November 13 that killed 130 people and led Hollande to call for a grand coalition of countries to fight Islamic State.

Berlin considers the possibility of sending Tornado reconnaissance aircraft to Syria to contribute to the struggle against the Islamic State militant group, a German lawmaker of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party said Thursday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel had promised the support, which must still be approved by parliament, during talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Wednesday.

A German frigate could help protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean, from which fighter jets are carrying out bombing runs, and the tanker aircraft could refuel them mid-air to extend their range, she said.

Merkel in response pledged to act “swiftly” to see how Germany could take on “additional responsibilities” to help in the fight against terrorism. The announcement comes as the French president visits Moscow.

“The government today decided on hard, but important and necessary steps”, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told journalists after the meeting.

The proposed measures, which involve the deployment of German armed forces overseas, will be further discussed by the cabinet with the government seeking to prepare a draft of the mandate and put it before parliament by Tuesday.

In brief statements before the dinner, Hollande asked Germany to do “even more in the fight against Daesh in Syria and Iraq”, using the Arab acronym for Islamic State, which is also referred to as ISIS and ISIL.

“There are risks. It is a unsafe operation, no doubt”.

Germany now provides weapons and training for Kurds fighting against IS in Iraq.