German government approves plan to withdraw troops from Türkiye

(Baonghean.vn) - On June 7, the German Government approved the decision to withdraw soldiers and equipment from Incirlik air base in Türkiye to move to Jordan.

Incirlik Air Base in Türkiye. Photo: AP

According to the original plan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the withdrawal of German troops from Incirlik base.

However, the German cabinet did not need to discuss the Defense Minister's detailed plan, but instead approved the plan to withdraw troops and equipment.
260 German soldiers, Tornado jets and a refueling plane as part of the coalition fighting the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq will leave Incirlik base in southern Türkiye and move to a new base in Jordan.

The withdrawal cost about 20 million euros and disrupted refueling operations for about two to three weeks and flight surveillance operations for about two to three months.
The withdrawal has also caused some controversy within Germany, with some lawmakers arguing that the troops should be withdrawn entirely instead of being deployed to Jordan, which has close ties with Qatar - the country at the center of the Gulf crisis; others have suggested putting the issue to a vote in the Bundestag.
Germany's withdrawal of troops from Incirlik air base is the next consequence of tensions between Germany and Türkiye over many issues, the latest of which is the decision to ban German parliamentarians from visiting their troops at Incirlik.

Lan Ha

(According to AFP)