German arms delivery to Iraqi Kurds in 2014
The German arms deliveries to Iraqi Kurds in summer 2014 are a measure taken by the German government to combat the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS) in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq .
background
Before the impression of the lightning-like gains in territory by IS in Iraq and the plight of the civilian population there, the federal government ( Merkel III cabinet ) decided to support the Kurdish regional government's fight against the jihadist militia “Islamic State”.
A novelty weapon delivery in a conflict area
Until the summer of 2014, the position of all German federal governments was that Germany would not deliver any weapons to regions in crisis or war. Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized that the delivery to a conflict area is an exceptional case. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier justified the arms deliveries by stating that a “return of barbarism” must be prevented.
If, as in Iraq, a foundation were created for religious fanatics, " the risk increases for us too that our security interests are affected, " said Merkel in the Bundestag justifying the deliveries. Merkel emphasized that the delivery of weapons was done in agreement with the Iraqi central government.
Political positions
Initially, Chancellor Merkel and her cabinet ruled out the delivery of military equipment to Iraq. Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen was the first coalition minister to take a different position until the cabinet finally decided on the delivery.
The left is skeptical about the arms deliveries, as it is not clear where the arms ended up after they were used.
On September 1, 2014, the Bundestag symbolically voted following a government declaration by the Chancellor. In addition to the war material, the federal government provided 50 million euros in humanitarian aid.
After Germany and other Western countries, Great Britain also considered delivering arms to the Kurds in Iraq to fight radical Islamists. France and Italy also supplied military equipment to the Kurds.
Supplied material
According to the Ministry of Defense, armaments aid comprises three tranches of 30 anti-tank guided missile systems of the Milan type (including 500 associated rockets), a total of 16,000 G3 and G36 assault rifles , 8,000 pistols , 200 light and 40 heavy bazookas, 40 machine guns and 10,000 hand grenades . Vehicles are also to be delivered: off-road vehicles, Unimogs and five older armored patrol vehicles of the Dingo 1 type .
The arms delivery is sufficient to equip a large formation of 4,000 soldiers. Bundeswehr soldiers were deployed in Erbil to organize the distribution of weapons.
On the evening of September 4, 2014, the Bundeswehr flew out the tranche of its equipment aid for the Kurds in Iraq. From Leipzig , a transport plane brought the cargo to the northern Iraqi city of Erbil. According to the Ministry of Defense, 4,000 combat helmets, 700 small radios, 680 telescopes and around 4,000 protective vests were delivered. Equipment for mine and ammunition disposal is also said to have been delivered: 30 mine probes, 20 metal detectors and 40 tools and equipment for ammunition disposal.
At the beginning of 2016 there were reports in German media that weapons from these deliveries were being offered for sale in arms markets in northern Iraq. In an article in Die Welt , the journalist Alfred Hackensberger criticizes the coverage of the daily topics, which - based on research by the NDR and WDR - first reported on this complex of topics. The facts are selectively shortened or dramatized by important aspects: The "black market" is regulated by the state and only gives weapons to licensed buyers. Weapons from deliveries by the Federal Republic of Germany were not “systematically” illegally traded. An investigation by the Peshmerga Ministry discovered "five cases of missing weapons".
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Kurdish aid: Germany supplies weapons to Northern Iraq - sueddeutsche.de
- ^ Federal Government - News - Support for Kurds in Iraq
- ↑ Federal government supports Kurds: equipment aid shortly before departure - tagesschau.de ( Memento from September 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Arms supplies for the Kurds
- ↑ Hans Leyendecker: Weapons from Bundeswehr stocks in bazaars in Northern Iraq . In: sueddeutsche.de . 2016, ISSN 0174-4917 ( sueddeutsche.de [accessed October 19, 2017]).
- ^ NDR: Bundeswehr weapons on the black market in Northern Iraq. Retrieved October 19, 2017 .
- ^ Alfred Hackensberger: How the ARD makes an arms trade a sensation. Welt, January 16, 2015, accessed September 9, 2018 .