Germany redeploys anti-Daesh surveillance jets to Jordan

BERLIN — Germany on Wednesday moved four Tornado jets flying surveillance missions against the Daesh terror group to Jordan after withdrawing them from Turkey amid a bilateral dispute, the defence ministry said.

Berlin decided in June to pull out the contingent after Ankara repeatedly denied German lawmakers the right to visit about 250 German troops then stationed at Turkey's Incirlik NATO base near Syria.

As part of the move to Jordan, Germany reduced the Tornado fleet that takes high-resolution images of potential Daesh targets from six aircraft to four, citing the extremist group's reduced strength. 

"In a few days the surveillance jets will resume their missions for the coalition partners in the fight against [Daesh]," a German defence official said.

Long tense German-Turkish ties plunged to a new low after last year's failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the subsequent crackdown on alleged plotters and state enemies.