On Tuesday, a ceremony marking the conclusion of Germany’s military advisory mission in support of the fight against ISIS was held at Camp Stefan at Erbil International Airport.

During the ceremony, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs Shoresh Ismail Abdulla stressed that relations between the people of Kurdistan Region and the Federal Republic of Germany are deep strategic ties based on freedom, democracy, and safeguarding the stability of the region.

He noted that the German military had been a genuine partner during difficult times, particularly in the fight against ISIS. 

In 2014, then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to directly supply Kurdish Peshmerga forces with G-36 rifles and MILAN anti-tank missiles in the fight against ISIS, and in 2015, the German government decided to send German military advisors to the Kurdistan Region.

Read More: Peshmerga Forces Strengthened with German Military Aid

Minister Abdulla also highlighted Germany’s wide-ranging support for the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs, including the participation of German advisers in the process of reforming and unifying the forces; establishing the Peshmerga hospital and providing medical supplies; sending officers to staff courses in Germany; and developing military media and awareness through the provision of modern technology.

“Deeply appreciative of Germany’s steadfast support and vital contributions to regional security,” Kurdistan Region Vice President Jaafar Sheikh Mustafa posted on X after attending the ceremony.

“This decision came about as the Coalition against ISIS is about to conclude its work in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” sector commander of the Makhmour-Gwer front Sirwan Barzani, who also attended the ceremony and worked closely with the German advisors, posted on X.

In 2024, the Iraqi government and U.S. government agreed that the Coalition would completely withdraw from Iraq by September 2026.

On July 10, Der Spiegel reported that a number of German advisors will stay in Erbil after September, but instead of being housed at the multinational camp at Erbil International Airport, they will stay at Germany’s Consulate General in Erbil.