Germany to stop reconnaissance missions over Iraq, Syria by November 2019 – document

Germany will next year end its reconnaissance and air-to-air refuelling missions that are part of US-led operations against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, the government decided on Tuesday. According to a document seen by Reuters, Germany’s air force will end the flights by October 31, 2019. The reason for the decision was not clear. Germany has mainly carried out limited engagements abroad since World War Two. Parts of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), who are junior partners in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition, have raised skepticism towards the flights. The German cabinet set no end date for a mission by German troops to train Iraqi military personnel, but it is due to be reviewed by April 30, the document showed. The lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, will have the final say on the continued deployment of up to 800 German troops in the region.