Britain's Ministry of Defence announced that UK troops will be training Kurdish forces in Iraq, as they continue to battle against Islamic State militants.
A “specialist team” of 12 soldiers from the UK's Yorkshire regiment will be training Kurds how to use UK-supplied machine guns, reports the BBC.
Last month the UK supplied the Kurdish Peshmerga with heavy machine guns and almost half-a-million rounds of ammunition.
The announcement comes as fighting continues between Islamic State and Kurdish forces for the town of Kobane. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged that US airstrikes had made “some progress” but said the situation in Kobane remained “dangerous”.
Commenting on the situation Kobane official Idris Nassan said, "the supply of fighters is very good...But fighters coming without arms, without weaponry, is not going to make a critical difference."
"We don't need just Kalashnikovs and bullets. We need something effective since they captured many tanks and military vehicles in Iraq," he added.
His comments come as Kurds across Europe held demonstrations, expressing solidarity with the Kurds of Kobane and calling for more international assistance for Kurdish fighters. More than 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Dusseldorf and protests were also held in Britain, France and the United States this weekend.
A “specialist team” of 12 soldiers from the UK's Yorkshire regiment will be training Kurds how to use UK-supplied machine guns, reports the BBC.
Last month the UK supplied the Kurdish Peshmerga with heavy machine guns and almost half-a-million rounds of ammunition.
The announcement comes as fighting continues between Islamic State and Kurdish forces for the town of Kobane. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel acknowledged that US airstrikes had made “some progress” but said the situation in Kobane remained “dangerous”.
Commenting on the situation Kobane official Idris Nassan said, "the supply of fighters is very good...But fighters coming without arms, without weaponry, is not going to make a critical difference."
"We don't need just Kalashnikovs and bullets. We need something effective since they captured many tanks and military vehicles in Iraq," he added.
His comments come as Kurds across Europe held demonstrations, expressing solidarity with the Kurds of Kobane and calling for more international assistance for Kurdish fighters. More than 20,000 demonstrators gathered in Dusseldorf and protests were also held in Britain, France and the United States this weekend.
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