The German Defense Ministry is said to be in talks with its US counterpart for details on the possibility for the Bundeswehr to join possible air strikes by US, British and French forces on Syrian targets, mass circulation in Germany. Bild newspaper reported Monday.
According to the report, German Conservative Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen responded to a request from the United States, followed by a meeting of senior military and ministerial officials from both countries.
According to the article, German fighter jets could participate in combat missions alongside their American, British and French counterparts.
Only in case of chemical attack
The Bundeswehr would only participate in air strikes in the case of another chemical attack. In April, President Bashar Assad was accused by Western powers of having used chemical weapons during an attack on Duma, which claimed more than 70 lives.
In response,
WE , UK
and French forces bombed three governments
sites in Syria in response to the chemical attack in Douma. Russia rejected Western claims that the Assad regime was behind the attacks. The air strikes conducted by the United States were considered the most important attack of allied powers in the civil war in Syria.
If Germany joins the alliance, it risks a direct confrontation with Russia, which supports Assad.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
Endless War
Syria has been wracked by a devastating civil war since 2011, after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control of many parts of the country over large areas of the country. The conflict has since attracted foreign powers and brought misery and death to the Syrians.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The dictator
The Syrian army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the presidential regime throughout the country. SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with Russian and Iranian military advisers who support Assad.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The northern watchman
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against the IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has tense relations with its US allies about US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, which, according to Ankara, are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fight in Turkey. The Turkish army intervened alongside rebels in the northern provinces of Aleppo, Afrin and Idlib.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The oriental guardian
The Kremlin has revealed itself to be a powerful friend of Assad. The air force and Russian ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supply to the Syrian army. Moscow was fired by the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its air strikes. However, the intervention of Russia has reversed the trend in favor of Assad.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
Western allies
A coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, led by the United States, began targeting air targets with air strikes at the end of 2014. The anti-IS coalition has suffered from a number of attacks. major setbacks within the militant group. The United States has more than a thousand special forces in the country supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army was born out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually became violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, she seeks to overthrow President Assad and hold democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members turned to militant extremist groups. He garnered some support from the United States and Turkey, but his strength has been greatly reduced.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
Resistance
The struggle between Syrian and Islamist Kurds has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against "Islamic State" supported the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish militia of the YPG is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds had a tacit agreement with Assad.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of the regional chaos to capture vast tracts of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate", the IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. EI faces defeat in both countries after the United States and Russia conducted separate military campaigns against the militant group.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The old jihadists
EI is not the only terrorist group to have ravaged Syria. A number of militant jihadist groups are fighting in the conflict, waging war against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the major jihadist factions is Hay & # 40; at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and maintains links with Al Qaeda.
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Who is fighting in the conflict in Syria?
The Persian shadow
Iran has been supporting Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Anxious to maintain its ally, Tehran provided strategic assistance, military training and ground troops to Damascus when the conflict erupted in 2011. Lebanon's militant Hezbollah militant group also supports the Assad regime alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups. country.
Author: Elizabeth Schumacher, Alexander Pearson
The decision, which should be approved by the Chancery, would be an allusion to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has already said that Germany would not participate in "military missions" in Syria.
Read more:
Iran , Russia and Turkey fail to agree on a ceasefire for Idlib in Syria
The report goes on to say that Bundeswehr forces could also participate in reconnaissance flights after a possible attack, also known as "combat damage assessment".
The Bundeswehr is already active in Syria, but does not participate in combat missions.
Germans skeptical about combat missions
Many Germans are skeptical about their
armed forces engaged in combat missions for historical reasons.
Social Democracy (SPD) President Andrea Nahles reacted to the report saying that "the SPD will not accept Germany joining the war in Syria, nor in parliament nor in government", according to the press agency dpa. The Social Democrats form a grand coalition with Mrs Merkel's CDU party.
The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense would not comment on the report, but Bild that they were "in close contact with our American ally". They also stressed the importance of avoiding further escalation in Syria, particularly with regard to "the use of chemical weapons, which the Assad regime has used in the past".
