Germans protest govt. plan of military involvement in Syria

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in the German capital, Berlin, to voice their anger at the German government’s plans for further involvement – including through committing forces – in a US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group in Syria.

According to organizers of the event, about 3,000 people protested at the Pariser Platz in Berlin on Thursday to denounce Germany’s plans for further military assistance to the US-led coalition in Syria.

The protest came days after the German cabinet endorsed a mandate offering more military assistance to the US-led coalition allegedly fighting Daesh in Syria. The German government recently confirmed that the plan covered deployment of Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, a naval frigate and as many as 1,200 soldiers.

“The German contribution serves the fight against terrorism under the auspices of the alliance against IS and is aimed at supporting in particular France, Iraq and the international alliance in its fight against IS,” the government said in a statement on Tuesday, using a different acronym for Daesh.

The one-year mandate, which still needs parliamentary approval, would cost 134 million euros (142 million dollars) and can be prolonged in 2016.

The German government’s decision came following recent talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, which saw the latter urging a broad coalition against Daesh. Hollande has been actively calling for such a coalition shortly after the November 13 terrorist attacks in the French capital city of Paris, which killed some 130 people and were claimed by Daesh.

Germany is a member of the US-led coalition that has been targeting what it says are Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria since last year; Berlin has only been providing logistical and technical assistance, though.

In an interview with China’s Phoenix television last month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said that the terrorists grew in power after Washington and its allies started their aerial campaign in the country.