Germany among NATO members sending troops to Greenland for Arctic mission

Germany will send 13 soldiers to Greenland on Thursday as part of a reconnaissance mission with other European nations, the German government and defense ministry said on Wednesday, following demands by President Donald Trump for Washington to have control of the island. The mission, which comes at the request of Denmark, will take place from Thursday to Saturday, aiming to explore possible military contributions to bolster the security of the region, a defense ministry statement said. Get daily National news Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . This could, for example, include maritime surveillance, it added. Trump has repeatedly said in recent weeks that Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark that is strategically located and rich in minerals, is vital to U.S. security, and that the United States must own it to prevent Russia or China from occupying it. He has said all options are on the table for securing the territory, rhetoric that has severely strained relations between Europe and the U.S. Earlier Wednesday, Sweden and Norway announced that they would send military personnel to the island. Greenland, Denmark ‘continue to differ’ with U.S. after White House meeting Trump giving middle finger to heckler an ‘appropriate’ response, White House says Group of DOJ lawyers quit amid fallout of Renee Good killing in Minneapolis ‘Leave Iran now,’ Ottawa urges Canadians as protests, crackdown intensify

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