SULEIMANI’S KILLING: German troops to relocate from Iraq

German troops due to the killing of Iranian General Qossim Suleimani by the United States will partially be relocated from Iraq where they were deployed to Jordan and Quwait.

Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas wrote in a letter to parliamentarians on Tuesday that bases in the capital city Baghdag and Taji will be “temporarily thinned out.’’

She continued, “Of course, we will respect every sovereign decision of the Iraqi government.

“We are in principle ready to continue our tried and tested support as part of an internationally coordinated framework if this is desired by Iraq and the situation allows it.”

On the situation in Baghdad and Taji, the ministers wrote: “The soldiers deployed there will soon be relocated to Jordan and Kuwait.

“When the training can be resumed, these forces can be transferred back.”

Because of the tensions over the deadly U.S. airstrike on Soleimani in Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State militia in Iraq is preparing a partial withdrawal.

The headquarters for “Operation Inherent Resolve’’ will be partially relocated to Kuwait, sources said. This would also affect three of the German soldiers posted at the headquarters.

At the Taji military complex in central Iraq, 27 German soldiers, who are helping train Iraqi forces, will be moved.

Overall, Germany has 415 soldiers participating in the operation, 120 of them in Iraq.