Germany to start moving anti-IS planes to Jordan in July

BERLIN – Germany’s defence minister hopes to start transferring planes serving in the international coalition against the Islamic State group from Turkey to Jordan by mid-July.

The German government decided to withdraw its refuelling and reconnaissance aircraft from Turkey’s Incirlik base after Turkish officials refused to let lawmakers visit the roughly 270 German troops there. They will move to Azraq, Jordan.

Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen told Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper that the refuelling plane will be moved as quickly as possible after the end of June and should be back in service in the second half of July.

Von der Leyen says moving the six Tornado reconnaissance planes will take two months, from August to September. Those planes should be fully back in service from October.