Germany to arm Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State in Iraq

The German government has announced it will supply 70 million euros worth of high-end military equipment to Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in Iraq. The move is a major shift in Germany's post-WWII ethos.

Deutsche Welle, 31 Aug 2014

The German government announced on Sunday evening it would send anti-tank missiles and machine guns to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) extremists in northern Iraq.

The German Defense Ministry said the arms, as well as protective gear and communications equipment, would be enough to supply 4,000 Kurdish Peshmerga fighters.

The delivery will take place over three shipments to start at the end of September. It will include 8,000 German-made G36 assault rifles and ammunition, 30 MILAN anti-tank systems, and five heavily armored Dingo infantry vehicles.

Berlin will also send 50 million euros ($65.6 million) in humanitarian aid to the region.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen (above right) made the announcement in Berlin alongside Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (above left), who said Germany must help in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

"The situation in Iraq is extremely critical," von der Leyen said, accusing IS of "merciless brutality."

The IS has made significant territorial gains in recent months as part of a quest to establish a "caliphate" in northern Iraq and Syria. Chancellor Angela Merkel recently labeled the group's actions as "genocide."

Major shift

The move breaks Germany's long-standing reluctance to join military operations overseas, in part due to the military aggression from the Nazis last century and the consequent deep sense of pacifism in the country.

"This is the most difficult decision that I have had to make in my career," said German Economics Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who is also the vice chancellor Merkel's ruling coalition.

Merkel has repeatedly ruled out sending ground troops to Iraq.

Lawmakers in Germany's parliament, the Bundestag, are set to vote on the government's decision on Monday. Merkel's conservative Christian Democrat-led political bloc and its left-leaning Social Democrat (SPD) coalition partner, led by Gabriel, plan to back the move.

Germany has to help those displaced by the advance of the IS in the region.

jr/hc (dpa, AFP)

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Speculations on the Reval, Ascension and the Removal of the Dark – Part 1/2 (Golden Age of Gaia, Steve Beckow, August 9, 2014)

"... ISIS/ISIL

Let me begin by repeating a part of a reading I had with Archangel Michael on July 11, 2014:

S: What is holding up the Reval now?

AAM: ISIS.

S: ISIS! Are they real?

AAM: Yes, they are real.

S: Is it not a CIA creation?

AAM: No. It is a grassroots organization. It is disgruntled ex-military.

S: Oh. Will they be able to hold it up for a long time?

AAM: No. Their goal is to create stability but it is stability at the price of great pain.

S: Yes, indeed.

AAM: There is no conscience. They believe that they act for Allah and to establish a Muslim state. But they are doing so through great violence.

Now this is part of what the Mother referred to as great chaos coming to the forefront. Will they be able to hold it up indefinitely? No. But the difficulty is that, with this Revaluation, if they were given even more money, that they would use it to buy very dangerous weapons.

S: Right. Does that mean that they’ll be able to hold it up indefinitely?

AAM: No. Not necessarily. [Next statement removed by request.]

S: But it won’t be in July.

AAM: It is more likely to be closer to September.

S: Any progress with the Dragons?

AAM: Oh, yes. There has been a great deal of progress with the Dragons. They are primed and ready to go but they are also not willing to allow a terrorist organization, regardless of their mission and purpose, as human as that is, to take that money and harm human beings.” (1)

Keep in mind what he said as we now turn to look at a news story that concerns ISIS or ISIL (they’re the same). ..."

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