German Defense Minister: Only Peshmerga Have Been able to Destroy Islamic State

The German defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has called on international community to offer more military support for Kurdish Peshmerga forces against the Islamic State militants.

Berlin is planning to send up to 100 soldiers to the Kurdistan region Capital, Erbil to help train Kurdish Peshmerga forces fighting against Islamic State militants and last December the German cabinet approved the plan.

On Thursday, German parliament discussed plan to send German officers to Kurdistan region and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen defended the plans, praising the Kurdish Peshmerga fighters who “are not just defending their country, they are also defending all of us against IS,” she said in parliament.

She called on European Union to do more to provide more support for Kurdish forces and take serious steps towards helping Peshmerga forces, which has been engaged in fighting against the Jihadi group for more than six months in both northern Iraq as well as in Syrian Kurdistan.

“The International community should understand the reality about the Kurds and everyone should support them”, she said in front of German Parliament.

“In my last visit to the region, it confirmed the truth that Kurdish forces are the only forces in the world that have been able to destroy the Islamic State”, said German defense minister.

“Last week I was in Erbil and saw the real situation closely and people around the world were saying I’m Charlie as a show of support for Charlie Hebdo [French Magazine attacked earlier this month], but we have to say we are Kurds, we are Yazidis,” Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.

Germany has already sent Iraqi Kurds weapons and equipment to the tune of $53.9 million and last week German Defense Minister visited Kurdistan region to pledge her country that Berlin will continue to support Kurds against the extremist group.

Source: BasNews