PARIS, August 13 (RIA Novosti) - France has made a decision to supply arms to Iraqi Kurds so that they can help the Iraqi government fight against Islamic State (IS) militants, the Elysee Palace said in a statement Wednesday.
“In order to reply to the urgent needs expressed by the regional authorities of Kurdistan, the head of state [President Francois Hollande] decided, having agreed with Baghdad, to send arms in the coming hours,” the statement reads.
The Elysee Palace added that France reiterated its support to the prime minister-designate Haidar Abadi, and called on Baghdad to form a new inclusive government “representing all the Iraqi communities to fight efficiently against the Islamic State.”
France is also planning to “play an active role” in providing all the necessary assistance together with its partners to the new Iraqi authorities.
Earlier, Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani asked the international community to provide his country with weapons to fight IS militants.
France has already sent humanitarian aid packages to Iraq and vowed to continue helping the country.
Iraqi Kurds re-established military cooperation with Baghdad in an effort to drive IS fighters back. Like Moscow, the United Nations Security Council has called on all Iraqi communities to unite and respond to the threat to Iraq’s future.
On Monday, Iraqi President Fouad Massoum nominated Haider Abadi as the country’s new prime minister and asked him to form a new government amid the a struggle to contain an Islamist extremist insurgency.
The Islamic State is a Sunni group, previously known as ISIL or ISIS, which has been fighting in Syria and launched an offensive in Iraq in June. The group has taken over large parts of the country with a goal of seizing Baghdad. Also in June, the insurgents announced the establishment of a caliphate on the Iraq-Syria border.
