BERLIN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The German cabinet on Wednesday adopted a mandate to prolong the deployment of German soldiers to train Iraqi security forces until the end of October in 2020.
The number of German soldiers deployed is set be reduced from 800 to 700 soldiers, according to the mandate passed by the cabinet which consists of all ministers of the German government.
The mandate is also stipulating that the deployment of German Tornado fighter jets in Jordan as well as the use of tanker aircraft for the international coalition against the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) is to be extended until the end of March 2020.
Germany's military involvement in the fight against the IS was originally scheduled to end in October this year.
Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD), coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian union CDU/CSU, had rejected to extend the deployment of the German military in Iraq and Jordan, and demanded the withdrawal of German fighter jets by the agreed date at the end of October.
It later agreed on an extension of the mandate earlier this month.
