Germany decided on Sunday to provide anti-tank missiles and machine guns to the Kurds in northern Iraq to support the fight against the Islamic State (IS), German media reported.

The decision was made after a meeting attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen.

Germany will send 16,000 assault rifles, 40 machine guns, 240 bazookas, 500 anti-tank missiles and 10,000 hand grenades to the Kurds, said a statement by the German Ministry of Defence.

As German media Spiegel Online reported, due to the humanitarian situation in Iraq, the German government has "started with delivery of assistance to the amount of 50 million euros so far".

German government will use the weapons, in a total value of around 70 million euros, to firstly upgrade a Kurdish fighters association which has approximately 4,000 people, according to Spiegel Online.

Von der Leyen said that the situation in Iraq was "extremely critical". She also accused the IS of "merciless brutality".

In addition to humanitarian aid, the German government has already supplied military equipments such as bullet-proof vests, helmets and night vision goggles to the fight against IS militants.

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