BERLIN
Germany’s Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has welcomed Turkey’s airstrike on Daesh targets in neighboring Syria.
“It is important that the countries of the region are now also becoming active against the terror of Daesh, putting aside religious divisions, standing against this barbaric terror,” von der Leyen told the German daily Bild on Friday.
Turkish warplanes hit Daesh targets in Syria on Friday morning, a day after a group of Daesh militants attacked the Turkish border post, killing one Turkish soldier and wounding two others.
Von der Leyen said that the international community’s fight against Daesh would be a serious and long-term struggle.
“It would be the right thing to do for us also to continue our contribution by supporting the Peshmerga in Iraq,” she added.
Both Germany and Turkey are members of the international coalition formed last year to counter the growing terrorism threat posed by Daesh in Syria and Iraq.
Germany has not yet joined the U.S.-led military strikes against Daesh targets but it is providing military equipment and training to the Iraqi Kurdish forces who are fighting Daesh.
