France to arm Iraq’s Kurds against Islamic State militant group

France has announced that it is delivering weapons to the Kurds in Iraq, in order to help them fend off the Islamic State (IS) militant group that has taken control of much of the north of the country.

 

A statement issued earlier today by the office of French President Francois Hollande said that the arms would be delivered “in the coming hours”.

 

It added that the move was "in response to the urgent need expressed by the regional authorities in Kurdistan".

 

Massoud Barzani, political leader of the Iraqi Kurds, made an appeal on Sunday for international military aid to fight IS. The group has been attacking Kurds as it continues to make its way through northern Iraq and Syria.

 

The Iraqi authorities have approved the delivery of the weapons, according to French media.

 

The Kurdish forces, named the Peshmerga, have already received some Western support. The US announced earlier that 130 more of its military advisers had been sent to the Kurdish region of Iraq. 

 

"For several days, France has had the necessary measures in place to support the operational capabilities of the forces fighting IS," Hollande's statement said. 

 

"The catastrophic situation faced by the population of Iraqi Kurdistan means the international community must step up its mobilisation.”