Germany's parliament has voted to support the government's plan to send German forces, including Tornado reconnaissance jets and a warship to Syria to support the U.S.-led coalition fighting against the Islamic State (ISIS).
A huge majority of MPs in Berlin voted heavily on Friday in favour of the plan crafted by Chancellor Angela Merkel with 445 votes to 146 following a pledge of greater support in the wake of the Nov. 13 attacks in Paris, for which ISIS has claimed responsibility.
The vote authorises the deployment of Tornado reconnaissance jets, an air refuelling tanker, a frigate and up to 1,200 troops. The planes will provide aerial refuelling and satellite images, while the frigate will help protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean, said the Express in London.
But Germany clarified that it will not join Britain, France, Russia and the U.S. in carrying out airstrikes on Syria.
Britain joined the U.S.-led bombing campaign over Syria on Thursday, striking an ISIS-held oil field and six of their hideouts. The bombing mission against the jihadist group was started within hours of the vote, said the Guardian.
Earlier on Sunday, German Army chief of staff General Volker Wieker said the military force would be mobilised "very quickly" once German MPs had given it the go-ahead.
By next week, two German Tornados and a tanker are expected to be sent to Turkey's Incirlik airbase but won't be fully operational until next month. The frigate is also expected to be in place soon.
German army forces will be deployed "in and over Syria" where ISIS militants are operating.
An additional 50 German soldiers will be sent to join the 100 already in place in northern Iraq to help train Kurdish Peshmerga forces who are fighting ISIS, The Star reported.
The mission will reportedly cost €134million (£96million) over the next year.
Reacting to the development, Justice Minister Heiko Mass said Germany was doing the right thing.
"We have to stop these terrorist murderers," he said. "We will not succeed in this by military means alone – but we will not succeed without it either."
Andre Wuestner, armed forces union head told German TV that the war against ISIS would "go on for well over 10 years."
