Germany to withdraw part of its military forces from Iraq

Germany will pull out some of its troops from Iraq, following an Iraqi parliamentary resolution calling on all foreign military forces to leave the country.

Some of Germany’s small contingent of troops in Iraq will be moved to neighboring Jordan and Kuwait, the German government said on Tuesday. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote to lawmakers that the troops stationed in Baghdad and Taji would be “temporarily thinned out.”

Thirty out of an estimated 120 German soldiers are set to be redeployed. The German government says they could be moved back if their training mission resumes.

The move comes a day after German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi about the issue. Merkel had stressed the importance of continued cooperation between Iraq and the EU in the fight against terrorism.

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