Germany rules out sending ground troops to Iraq

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Sunday said Germany would not be involved in air strikes or any ground offensive in the fight against Islamic State jihadists in Iraq, AFP reports.

As part of the US-led international coalition formed to stop the advance of IS militants in Iraq and Syria, Steinmeier said there was a sharing of tasks among the allies and that Germany would not be taking on a stronger role.

The decisions already taken by Berlin to send arms to Kurdish fighters battling IS militants, “were not taken easily,” he said.

He added that Germany was not under any pressure to join the United States and France in launching air strikes on territory controlled by the IS group. “No, the coalition doesn’t work that way,” he told public broadcaster ARD. /End/