| It seems fair — time for them to devote attention to problems closer to home, not to mention restocking bullets and a large variety of long-needed spare parts. |
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
" (IS) mission in Syria and Iraq after March 31, 2020.
The Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) have been in a tussle over extending the mission's mandate, with the SPD demanding the German military end its role in the international coalition.
The SPD has opposed extending the military mission, arguing that former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen had promised parliament to terminate the anti-IS mandate.
The mandate was set to expire at the end of October and would normally have been extended by a year.
Germany has four Tornado reconnaissance jets, an AWAC aircraft and an in-flight refueling tanker based in Jordan carrying out missions as part of a US-led international coalition.
Lawmakers also voted to extend the Bundeswehr's military training mission in Iraq for one year.
The decision to end Germany's participation the anti-IS mission comes as Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has suggested the creation of an international security zone in northeast Syria.
The United States has urged Germany to continue its participation in the anti-IS mission.