MOSCOW, October 20 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Ministry of Emergencies is sending two flights carrying humanitarian aid to Iraq, the ministry's spokesperson Alexander Drobyshevsky said Monday.
"The first Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft will leave for Baghdad from the Ramenskoye Airfield near Moscow on October 21. It will deliver canned meat, 2,500 blankets, two portable electric power plants and 100 10-person tents," the official said.
He added that the total weight of Russia's humanitarian aid package will reach 37 tons.
A second flight, scheduled for October 23, will deliver humanitarian cargo to the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil.
During a September meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed Russia's readiness to support the Iraqi authorities in their struggle against the Islamic State terrorist group, which has seized vast areas across Iraq and Syria, proclaiming an Islamic caliphate.
In October, Russia delivered 17 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria, another country fighting the IS and other insurgent groups.
