According to the Kurdistan 24 TV channel, the presence of German troops in Iraq was extended until February 26, with 431 votes in favor and 209 votes against, and thus German troops will remain in Iraq for another 15 months.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also announced that the threat of the Islamic State (ISIS) is not over yet, and its secret organizations continue their terrorist activities in Iraq and Syria. “That is why it is necessary for German forces to continue to play their role in the fight against ISIS.”

The foreign minister attributed the militant group’s recent resurgence to coronavirus pandemic and a slump in counter-terror activities as a result.

“In order to guarantee security in the region and here in Europe, we must do everything we possibly can to prevent a resurgence of IS,” he continued. “We will continue to stand resolutely by [Iraq’s] side in the fight against IS and to support the implementation of the ambitious Iraqi reform agenda.”

In a tweet following the decision to extend the German mandate, the Kurdistan Region’s President Nechirvan Barzani commended the Bundestag’s decision.

“I thank Germany for extending its forces’ mandate as part of the global coalition against ISIS in Iraq,” Barzani said in a tweet. “We appreciate Germany’s continued assistance to the Kurdistan Region. Iraq and the region still need the support of the global coalition to defeat ISIS.”

500 German troops are serving in Iraq within the International Coalition against the ISIS. A number of these forces are in the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of Iraq.

Reporter’s code: 50101