The German Armed Forces on August 15 handed over 400 backpacks with high-quality medical materiel, six forklifts, and four lift trucks for material handling to the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs (MoPA).
Moreover, the German Armed Forces provided several hundred meters of shelf systems for the main warehouse of the peshmerga.
For the backpacks, a three-week “train the trainer” course was previously provided by the Mobile Medical Training Team (MMTC), while the shelf systems, forklifts, and lift trucks are supposed to improve the storage conditions and material handling by the peshmerga forces.
The commander of the #German forces in the #KRI stated: Our relations with the #MoPA continue & our goal is to strengthen the #Peshmerga forces in the fight against ISIS terrorists, moreover according to the 2024 plan, further assistance is underway and will continue next year. pic.twitter.com/LqIx6M6EGF
— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) August 15, 2024
“First of all, I would like to thank the MoPA for initiating the official handover of equipment that just took place in this central warehouse of the peshmerga Forces. The German Armed Forces have supported the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq since 2015,” Commander of the German Armed Forces in Erbil Colonel Lars Persikowski said during the handover ceremony.
“The German support to the peshmerga became most visible with the handover of the MILAN anti-tank missiles; additionally, assault rifles, like the G-36, as well as armored vehicles, like the DINGO, helped the peshmerga to successfully defeat ISIS terrorists,” he said.
In 2014, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to supply Kurdish peshmerga forces with G-36 rifles and MILAN anti-tank missiles, which were effective in stopping ISIS armored vehicles.
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However, Colonel Persikowski warned that the fight against ISIS is not over yet.
“The ideology is still alive. ISIS must be prevented from regaining the ability to endanger peace in this region. Therefore, the German Armed Forces – as part of the U.S.-led Coalition – continue to support the government of the Kurdistan Region by enhancing the capabilities of the Kurdish Armed Forces under the MoPA,” he stated.
He also underlined that the German Armed Forces also implement various projects in Kurdistan, and will continue to carry out new projects. This is part of the Enable and Enhance Initiatives that have been coordinated by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence and Federal Foreign Office.
The German Armed Forces says these initiatives make it possible to provide material support, infrastructure measures, training, and advisory activities for Kurdish peshmerga forces.
Read More: Germany and Peshmerga Ministry Launch €3.2 Million Joint Project
During the ceremony, Deputy Chief of Staff for Administration and Logistics Major General Hoshmand Haider Rashid thanked Germany, the people of Germany, and the commander of the German forces for the support they have provided to the peshmerga since the beginning of the war against ISIS.
The MoPA Dpty Chief of Staff thanked the German country & people, also the cmdr of the German forces for the support they have provided to Peshmerga since the beginning of the war against ISIS & have played an important role in improving the capabilities of the Peshmerga forces. pic.twitter.com/Y22FHnZUqe
— Ministry of Peshmerga (@KRG_MOPE) August 15, 2024
Earlier, Germany’s Consulate General in Erbil on July 4 announced that the MoPA and the German Armed Forces had launched a joint project worth €3.2 million in Erbil.
Germany also supported the opening of a peshmerga hospital in March 2021 in Erbil and a military medical training center in Sulaymaniyah in October 2022.
“Significant financial resources and profound expertise of German military personnel build the basis to provide advice, training, military equipment, and infrastructure to the Kurdish Armed Forces,” Colonel Persikowski, said.
“The aim of these projects is to enhance the capability spectrum of the Kurdish Armed Forces in order to enable them to independently conduct the fight against any terrorist group, especially ISIS, that might endanger peace in Kurdistan.”
