UK 'Prepared To Arm Kurdish Fighters In Iraq'

The UK will "consider positively" any request for military equipment from Kurdish fighters in Iraq, according to a Government source.

David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg agreed during an emergency Cobra meeting that it was "vital" to help the fight against Islamic State (IS) militants, formerly known as the Islamic State In Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Government is now expected to provide weapons and equipment, should Kurdish leaders make a request. 

Iraqi and Kurdish forces are battling IS, which has recently made significant gains in the north of the country, causing thousands to flee after they were issued with an ultimatum to convert to Islam or face death.

A Downing Street source said any supplies would be "dependent on what the Kurds would need".

Other EU countries have already agreed to send weapons to the Kurds

France is already sending weapons to Iraq, with President Francois Hollande confirming the "imminent delivery of military equipment".

Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands have also said they will send arms or are considering doing so.

Meanwhile, several thousand refugees from the Yazidi minority remain on Mount Sinjar in searing temperatures - but the US has said it is now unlikely to mount a rescue.

Yazidi people demonstrate at the Iraq-Syria border

President Barack Obama said the situation had "greatly improved" after a special forces mission found many people had escaped.

Mr Obama said airdrops had delivered more than 114,000 meals and tens of thousands of gallons of water, with fighter jets striking Islamic State fighters to allow the drops to take place.

The militants' siege of Sinjar town had been broken, the president said, but strikes would continue.

UK International Development Secretary Justine Greening said military action and resistance from Kurdish troops had cleared a safe path for many refugees, who originally were thought to number in the tens of thousands.

Nouri al Maliki has bowed to pressure at home and abroad

Britain has also completed seven aid deliveries and a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters are being sent to the region, in addition to Tornado jets with surveillance equipment.

Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al Maliki, bowed to pressure and stepped down on Thursday with his country's military still struggling to contain Islamic State's onslaught. Haider al Abadi was named as his replacement.

The US called the decision a "major step forward in uniting (Iraq)".

A night vision image of an air drop by the RAF

Secretary of State John Kerry said: "We commend the important and honourable decision by Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki to support Prime Minister-designate Haider al Abadi in his efforts to form a new government and develop a national program in line with Iraq's constitutional timeline.

"This milestone decision sets the stage for a historic and peaceful transition of power in Iraq."

EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels later to discuss the ongoing aid efforts, and possibly an agreement on a joint position on arming Kurdish forces.

Islamic State's offensive has seen them capture major cities, such as Mosul and Tikrit, this year, with reports of beheadings and crucifixions as they grab more territory for their self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq.

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