German cabinet approved military mandate to fight Islamic State in Syria

German cabinet approved plans to pledgeup to 1,200 soldiers to back the international coalition fighting against Islamic State(IS) in Syria.

• After the Paris attacks, the Germany chancellor Angela Merkel agreed to honor a request from France to provide support for its operations against ISIS in Syria. Germany plans to send scoutingaircraft, tanker planes and a warship to the region, but will notkeenlyinvolvein combat.
• The mandate is for one year at a cost of €134m (£94m) and can be extended next year.A German frigate could protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the eastern Mediterranean, from which fighter jets are bombing shots, and tanker aircraft could refill them mid-air to encompass their range.

Key points:

• Germanys’ foreign minister- Frank-Walter Steinmeier