BERLIN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Following a three-week suspension over security concerns, the German armed forces Bundeswehr commenced its training mission in Iraq, German media reported on Monday.
The operation of training Kurdish security personnel has been continued since Sunday morning German time, the Bundeswehr announced on Twitter.
According to the German army, around 100 soldiers were deployed in Erbil, the most populated city in Iraqi Kurdistan, as part of the international coalition against the terrorist organization the Islamic State (IS).
"If we let up on this fight now, we must expect that IS will again be able to strike more heavily in Europe," German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told the newspaper Augsburger Allgemeine on Monday.
Following the killing of Iranian senior general Qassem Soleimani by a U.S. drone, the parliament in Baghdad had initially voted for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.
However, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that head of the Iraqi government Adel Abdul Mahdi had signaled a continuation of the Bundeswehr mission.
"We will always respect the sovereignty of Iraq," Maas told members of the Bundestag but stressed that the German government was advocating the support because "anything else will contribute to instability in Iraq."
Germany's armed forces said that Kurdish security forces, with German support, could operate more independently in the future and "pass on what they have learned" after the training courses.
