German Chancellor's cabinet approved the deployment of additional German troops to Turkey (File Photo)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet on Wednesday approved the deployment of additional German troops to Turkey to help operate NATO surveillance aircraft as part of the U.S-led fight against ISIS, government sources said.
The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft will be based at Konya air base in southern Turkey. They will be used for reconnaissance in support of air strikes against ISIS targets.
The German military, or Bundeswehr, provides about one third of the crews used to operate and maintain NATO's AWACS planes, but German law requires that individual missions must be approved by parliament. No details were provided on exactly how many troops would be part of the deployment.
Germany already has about 500 military personnel involved in the fight against ISIS, including over 240 who are based at Incirlik air base in Turkey to operate six Tornado surveillance aircraft and a refueling plane. Others are on board a German frigate that is operating in the eastern Mediterranean with the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.
The total number of German troops participating in the fight against ISIS is capped at 1,200 and will not be increased, the sources said.
© Thomson Reuters 2016