Paris: France has announced it will send arms to the Kurds in Iraq “in the coming hours” to help them defend their territory against Islamic State extremists.
The announcement by President Francois Hollande’s office came as the US said it was also stepping up its role. The Pentagon will send 130 more military advisors to northern Iraq to assess the humanitarian crisis. It is believed their main goal is to organise a land escape route for up to 30,000 civilians, mostly of the Yazidi religious minority, who remain trapped on Mount Sinjar near the Syrian border, hemmed in by Islamic State (Isis) militants who have threatened to kill them.
“In order to respond to the urgent need expressed by the Kurdistan regional authorities, the president has decided, in agreement with Baghdad, to deliver arms in the coming hours,” Hollande’s office said.
THE GUARDIAN
