German parliament approves more soldiers for Mali, Iraq
The German parliament approved government plans on Thursday to send up to 650 soldiers to Mali, boosting its presence in the UN peacekeeping mission in the West African country which is beset by Islamist militant violence.
The Bundestag lower house of parliament also agreed to increase the number of soldiers training Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq to up to 150 from up to 100.
The majority of the German forces who will start going to Mali in the coming weeks will be stationed in the north of the country which has seen an upsurge of violence by Islamist militants.
Working with Dutch forces who operate a military camp in the northern city of Gao, they will carry out reconnaissance work and provide logistical support.
