Germany to Resume Training Troops in North Iraq Amid US-Iran Tensions - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany will resume training Iraqi and Kurdish soldiers in northern Iraq, the German Defence Ministry was reported as saying on Friday, three days after Berlin halted training missions over tensions between Iran and the United States.

The ministry informed defence policy chiefs of parliamentary factions on Thursday evening about its decision to continue training after it re-evaluated the security situation in the region, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper said.

The threat level was reduced from Level 4 to Level 3 on Wednesday, meaning the training will continue as soon as this weekend, the outlet has learned.

READ MORE: UK Raises Threat Level for Troops in Iraq Over Alleged Risk From Iran — Reports

Germany suspended training at Camp Taji military complex north of Baghdad as tensions continued to rise between Tehran and Washington, which has sent a carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf, citing a threat from Iran. Tehran, however, slammed US allegations as "fake intelligence", accusing the White House of dragging the US into a conflict with the Islamic Republic.

German military instructors have been deployed in the north of Iraq since 2014 where they are training the members of the Kurdish Peshmerga paramilitary group who fought against the Daesh* terrorist organisation throughout Iraq between 2014 and 2016. Last year, Germany extended its training mission in Iraq until 31 October 2019. It has 160 personnel in the country.

* Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia