SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has extended words of gratitude to Germany for extending its military mission across Iraq including the Region, a statement Wednesday said.
President Barzani received a delegation of the German Parliament’s (Bundestag) Defense Committee, according to a statement from the office of the Region’s Presidency.
In a meeting, the officials shed the light on Germany’s relations with Iraq and the Region. It also focused on the extension of the deployment of German troops, the statement said.
The German Bundestag on Friday voted in favor of extending the country’s military mission in Iraq.
The German armed forces are deployed across Iraq to train and advise the local armed forces against the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) as a part of the U.S.-led coalition forces mission to defeat the terrorists.
During the meeting, President Barzani “thanked the Bundestag, the government, and the people of Germany for extending the troop deployment of their forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” it said.
“The President also expressed the Kurdistan Region’s appreciation for Germany’s military and humanitarian support during the war against ISIS,” it added.
The military mission was supposed to stay until Oct. 2022, however, the Bundestag decided to extend the mandate for an extra year.
“The military mission will stay until the end of Oct. 2023 to train and advise the local forces,” the Bundestag in a statement said.
“German armed forces– are stationed in the country to ensure the stabilization efforts and prevention of Islamic State militants’ resurgence in Iraq,” read the statement.
There are around 500 German soldiers stationed in Iraq, according to the Bundestag’s statement.
Back then, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani immediately welcomed the decision by Germany.
“I welcome the Bundestag’s vote today to extend the Bundeswehr mission in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” Barzani in a tweet said. “We have been drawn together by a shared resolve to not let tyranny take root in our region.”
