Germany: Daesh threat in Iraq ‘not over’

German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer yesterday defended her country’s mission in Iraq saying the threat of Daesh is “not over yet”.

“We are fighting there against the Islamic State [Daesh], that is, against a terrifying terrorist organisation,” Kramp-Karrenbauer told Germany’s Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper yesterday.

The German minister rejected estimates claiming the group has been weakened and therefore pressure against it can be reduced.

“Actually the danger is not over. Last year the number of attacks increased again,” she said, adding: “If we let up on this fight now, we must expect that IS will again be able to strike more heavily in Europe.”

The minister added that Germany’s participation in Iraq serves national interest.

The German armed forces on Sunday resumed their training mission of Kurdish armed forces in northern Iraq after a three-week suspension for security reasons.

Training is still pending in central Iraq, where German soldiers and forces from other countries had withdrawn after the United States assassinated commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, near Baghdad.

READ: Germany says 122 Daesh fighters repatriated