Germany rules out airstrikes

Berlin's decision, backed in parliament early this month to help arm and equip Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq to help them fight off IS advances would not be expanded, Steinmeier told German public broadcaster ARD late on Sunday.

He said the international alliance, including the US, France, Britain and Italy, formed to fight the IS and its brutalities, foresaw a division of work.

"We have taken our part .. of the responsibility," Steinmeier (pictured) said, adding that Germany was not under pressure to join the US and French airstrike operations.

"No, the coalition doesn't work that way, " he told ARD's weekly broadcast "Report from Berlin."

Unusual for Germany

On September 1, Germany broke with its rule of not exporting weapons into war zones by deciding to send the Kurdish force anti-tank missiles, assault rifles as well as items such as tents and helmets, in a three-stage delivery from German Bundeswehr stocks.

It also decided to send 40 soldiers to train the Kurdish fighters.

Most parliamentary members of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democrat-led coalition backed her cabinet's decision to send arms during a non-binding Bundestag assembly vote.

Merkel said Germany should help stop the "further spread of mass killings" by IS jihadists, who she said had committed "unbelievable atrocities" against ethnic communities.

"We have a chance to prevent terrorists from creating another safe haven for themselves. We must take this chance," Merkel said.

Delivery opposed in parliament

The delivery was opposed by some Social Democrat members of Merkel's broad coalition and rejected by the opposition Left party and a majority of the opposition Greens.

Supplying military hardware is unusual for Germany, given deep reservations based on past aggression in two world wars.

ipj/lw (dpa, AFP)