Reference News Network, January 19 report. According to the German "Der Spiegel" website, January 18 report, just two days later, the German Federal Defense Forces had already withdrawn 15 soldiers stationed in Greenland back to the country.
The report said that the German Federal Defense Forces' reconnaissance team arrived in Greenland on the 16th, but had already left by the early afternoon of the 18th. A spokesperson for the operations command explained that the 15 soldiers left the Arctic island by a civilian aircraft.
"The reconnaissance mission has been completed, and the assessment will be conducted in Germany," said the spokesperson. The action was not interrupted, he said, "the reconnaissance mission has been completed as ordered."
These German soldiers participated in a so-called reconnaissance mission involving multiple European countries. The mission aimed to assess how to better secure Greenland against threats such as those from Russia. The United States had been explicitly invited to participate but did not join.
German soldiers exchanged with soldiers from other countries, including France, the Netherlands, and Iceland.
The report also questioned whether the rapid return of the German soldiers was actually planned. This is suspicious.
According to the "Bild" newspaper, the German soldiers had claimed on the 17th that they would stay longer than originally planned. But on the morning of the 18th, the soldiers suddenly received notice to return that day. Therefore, the scheduled activities on the 18th were also canceled.
This sudden withdrawal indicates it was a response to U.S. President Trump's latest tariff threats.
The report mentioned that Trump strongly criticized European countries deploying soldiers to Greenland on the 17th. He wrote on the "Truth Social" website: "Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands, and Finland have unclear purposes in going to Greenland." He said this was a "very dangerous situation" for the safety, protection, and survival of the Earth. To force Europeans to negotiate the sale of Greenland, Trump announced punitive tariffs on these countries.
In fact, European countries only sent dozens of soldiers — they did not carry weapons, traveled by civilian aircraft to avoid angering Trump. The UK only sent one soldier. Italy did not participate in this operation and called it a "joke." (Translated by Nie Litao)
On January 18, German military personnel boarded an aircraft in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. (AFP)
Original article: toutiao.com/article/7597023358345118208/
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