US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey has called on Germany to send military trainers, logistics specialists and technicians to help the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.
"We want ground troops from Germany to partially replace our soldiers," Jeffrey said in an interview with the German dpa news agency and the weekly Welt am Sonntag newspaper, before adding that he expected an answer from the German government this month.
Jeffrey was in Berlin on Friday on a mission to draw pledges of military and financial support from the German government. "We are looking for volunteers who want to take part here and among other coalition partners," Jeffrey told the German news outlets, though he added that he had not asked for a specific number of soldiers.
He also said that troops would not necessarily be required to engage directly in fighting with the jihadi group.