Sunday, January 09, 2022
Examination of Bundeswehr mandates
Lambrecht visits German soldiers in Iraq
As soon as she took office, Defense Minister Lambrecht announced that all Bundeswehr missions abroad would be examined. Now the SPD politician is visiting soldiers in Iraq and the Kurdish regions. The Bundestag will soon decide on an extension of the mandate.
Before discussing an extension of the Bundeswehr mission in Iraq, Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht visited German soldiers in Baghdad and in the Kurdish region in the north of the country. According to her ministry in Berlin, the minister had “first-hand information about the soldiers’ impressions and their” on-site tasks “. At the same time, Lambrecht assured the Iraqi leadership that Germany would continue to support it.
Lambrecht visited Jordan on Saturday, and then went on to Iraq on Sunday. The Bundestag decision on a mandate extension will soon be pending for both countries. During discussions with the military command personnel of the Bundeswehr in Baghdad, Lambrecht received information on current developments in the “Inherent Resolve” and “Nato Training Mission Iraq” operations.
In Baghdad, Lambrecht met Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and her Iraqi counterpart Juma’a Enad. She discussed the security situation in the region with the two politicians, the German-Iraqi cooperation and the joint engagement against the jihadist militia Islamic State (IS). Lambrecht assured that Germany would continue to support Iraq. The fight against IS is “by no means won”. Successes have already been achieved, “but we have to win this fight together”. She wanted to give Iraq a promise “that we will continue to work together there in the future”.
Analyze the security of the German soldiers
From Baghdad, Lambrecht traveled on to the Bundeswehr contingent in Erbil, where she also spoke to soldiers. She also advised the leadership of the Kurdish regional government on security and stability in Northern Iraq. In doing so, she paid tribute to the great sacrifices that the Kurdish fighters against ISIS had made. “The terror threatens not only the region, but also us in Europe and in Germany,” said Lambrecht.
Immediately after taking office, Lambrecht announced that all foreign deployments of the Bundeswehr would be subjected to a detailed review. Among other things, the cabinet should deal with the extension of the Iraq mandate in January. The situation on site and the security of the armed forces would have to be analyzed in detail. It must also be checked how the Iraqi government feels about the operation.