The German Army, Bundeswehr, is set to resume its training of Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, the German Press Agency DPA reports. According to the outlet, the mission, which was temporarily suspended following the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad in a US drone strike, began again this weekend. However, the German operations in central Iraq have not been resumed yet.
The Bundeswehr has already re-launched its reconnaissance flights as part of its international mission against terrorists in the region. Tornado jets will continue to operate from the Jordanian Al-Asrak Airbase until the end of March. They are supposed to locate Daesh* hideaways in Syria and Iraq.
Although around 90 German instructors remained at the base in Arbil in northern Iraq, Bundeswehr staffers from central Iraq, as well as units from other countries, were relocated to Kuwait and Jordan after the US killed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force commander in a drone strike on 3 January. In response, Iran fired missiles at bases in Iraq where American troops were stationed.
Germany’s Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has reportedly also weighed opportunities in Iraq's capital Baghdad to continue the international operations against terrorists.
*Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia
