MESOP EXCLUSIVE: German Weapons to Reach Kurds by End of September

05.09.2014 – Hawar Abdulrazaq – BasNews, Erbil – The German Consul General in Iraqi Kurdistan said Thursday that German military aid for Kurds fighting Islamic State (IS) militants will arrive by end of September.

In an exclusive interview with BasNews, Alfred Simms-Protz, the German Consul General in Erbil, said with confidence that next week non-lethal military equipment from Germany will be sent to the Kurdistan Region. He also explained that a number of Peshmerga officers will travel to Germany to train with the new weapons to ensure the soldiers can use them to the utmost efficiency. “By the end of this month, the lethal weapons will arrive which include anti-tank missiles and automatic rifles,” Simms-Protz said from Erbil.  He also said that the military equipment includes body-armor, helmets and other military needs. The decision to supply assistance was made after a request for aid from the Kurdish government with the approval of the Iraqi central government in coordination with Europe and the U.S. He also said that Germany has already sent six soldiers to the German Consulate General in Erbil to coordinate the deliveries. The German Consul said that the Kurds are fighting the IS militants on behalf of the entire world, hence the reason that the support from the international community is so vast. “The Islamic State not only poses a threat to Kurds, it poses threat to the whole world world,” Added Simms-Protz. He also believes that there is no need for German soldiers to be sent to Iraq, because he thinks Peshmerga can defeat IS insurgents on their own with the helpful addition of modern weapons.