Germany is to arm the Iraqi Kurds in an historic break with its postwar tradition of refusing to send weapons to conflict zones. The decision is in the interests of European security, Angela Merkel told the Bundestag yesterday.
The chancellor cited “inconceivable atrocities” against civilians as well as the dangers posed by 400 Germans who have joined the jihadist fight as the key reasons for supplying a €70 million arsenal of rockets, guns and grenades.
Mrs Merkel began an emotionally charged speech to a special session of MPs with a reminder that yesterday marked the 75th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland, giving extra reason to act against tyranny.
A leading member of her Social Democratic Party coalition allies argued that this was an exceptional step that did not end Germany’s general taboo on arming combatants. Only the two smaller opposition parties, the Greens and the Left, spoke against sending weapons, warning that they could end up in the wrong hands and that Germany was on a slippery slope back to “militarism”.
“We have the opportunity to save lives and stop the further spread of mass murder in Iraq,” Mrs Merkel said. “When terrorists take control of a vast territory to give themselves a base for their acts of terror, then the danger rises for us, then our security interests are affected. We have the chance to prevent terrorists from creating another safe haven for themselves. We must take this chance.”
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The German government has gone further than its western allies by issuing a detailed list of the military equipment it will send to the Iraqi Kurds fighting militants of Islamic State (also known as Isis). The supplies consist of five heavily armoured Dingo infantry vehicles, 30 long-range anti-tank systems, 40 machineguns, 200 bazookas, 500 anti-tank rockets, 16,000 rifles and 10,000 hand grenades.
The first of three shipments from German army reserves will equip 4,000 soldiers by the end of the month.
Mrs Merkel said that about 400 German nationals had travelled to Iraq and Syria to fight with Isis or other jihadists, part of a contingent of more than a thousand Europeans in the warzone.
“We must fear these fighters could return one day and mount attacks in European cities,” she said. “The enormous suffering of many people cries to the heavens and our own security interests are threatened.”
Germany will also send tents, helmets and radio equipment, and plans to bring a small group of Kurdish peshmerga fighters to southern Germany for a week’s training.
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“Delivering weapons to the Kurds does not change the political principles of the government regarding arms exports,” Thomas Oppermann, leader of the SPD parliamentary group, said.