German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has urged for a long-term mandate for the country's troops deployed in Iraq, Deutsche Welle reported. She justified the move by saying that despite the fact that Daesh* has suffered significant defeat in Iraq, it still has an "ideological foothold."
"The fight against IS has left behind deep wounds and scars in the country. It takes patience for these scars to heal and for Iraq to become strong," she said.
The current mandate for German troops' stay in Iraq, issued by the country's parliament, the Bundestag, expires on October 31. It is expected to be prolonged, but the idea faces backlash from members of the Social Democratic Party, who are a part of the ruling coalition along with Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Party and Seehofer's Christian Democratic Union.
READ MORE: Defense Minister Calls to Renew Deployment of German Troops Abroad
German forces in Iraq are tasked with training the country's troops in logistics, paramedic training and defusing explosive devices. Also, roughly 150 German soldiers are tasked with training Kurdish forces — the Peshmerga.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS, IS, Islamic State) is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.
