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Berlin won't share IS intelligence data with Russia but will coordinate flights — minister

Germany is going to send Tornado reconnaissance jets to Syria

BERLIN, December 1. /TASS/. Germany, which is going to take part in the mission against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group (outlawed in Russia) in Syria and Iraq, will not provide data obtained by reconnaissance aircraft to Russia, German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told the N24 German TV channel on Tuesday.

"The photos and data that we obtain remain exclusively in our coalition, they will not be provided to Russia," she said. "We will only discuss with each other who flies and where to avoid midair collisions," the defense minister added.

In particular, Germany is going to send Tornado reconnaissance jets to Syria.

A similar statement has been made at a press briefing in Berlin by Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff. "The data (obtained by Tornado) will be handed over to the Air Forces of the members of the anti-IS coalition, whose work is coordinated from the territory of Qatar," he said. "Russia is not involved in this structure, as far as intelligence data is concerned."

The Defense Ministry hopes that Tornado jets will begin flights in early January, Flosdorff added.