Mandat­e for German­y's partic­ipatio­n in Syria runs out on Oct 31, after which parlia­ment would decide future course­BERLIN: Berlin said Monday it had no plans to send ground troops to Syria, refusing a US request for Germany to ramp up its military involvement in the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants. “When I say that the government intends to continue with its ongoing measures in the framework of the anti-IS coalition, then that means no ground troops,” said German government spokesman Steffen Seibert. US special representative on Syria James Jeffrey told German media including the Die Welt newspaper Sunday that Washington wants Berlin to put boots on the ground in northern Syria. Jeffrey, who was visiting Berlin for Syria talks, added that he expects an answer this month. The US is hoping Europe will help, pressuring Britain, France and now Germany, which has so far deployed surveillance aircraft and other non-combat military support in Syria.

Source: The Express Tribune July 08, 2019 11:03 UTC