German Defense Minister Rules Out Putting Boots on Ground in Syria

Local Editor

Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said that Germany does not plan to deploy ground troops to Syria to fight the "ISIS" terror group.

Germany does not plan to deploy ground troops to Syria to fight the "ISIS" terror group, the country's Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told a local newspaper in an interview published Monday.

"No, Western ground troops would be a wrong answer in this situation," von der Leyen told Bild in response to whether the West should send troops to Syria following the "ISIS"-linked terror attack in Istanbul.

Training local forces to uphold security in the country and take full responsibility for stability is the right way forward, she added, citing the experience of military involvement in Iraq.

German surveillance jets had been operating in Syria since January, as part of a broader international operation led by Washington to degrade the "ISIS" militant group. The group is outlawed in the European Union, the United States, Russia and several other nations.

Von der Leyen also pledged support to internationally-recognized Libyan authorities in their struggle against "ISIS" insurgency. She stressed it was important to stabilize the country, which has been locked in an armed conflict since 2011.

"It [Libyan government] will soon need assistance in restoring law and order in this country. As well as in the fight against "ISIS" which threatens Libya," the minister said, adding "ISIS" was actively seeking cooperation with Africa's militant group Boko Haram.

"ISIS" seized large areas in Iraq and Syria and established radical law on the occupied territories. Terrorist groups from different countries, including Libya, had allied themselves with "ISIS".

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team