US sending 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq

The US Defence Department will send 2,000 anti-tank weapons to Iraq to help in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The weapons will arrive as early as next week, department spokesman Steve Warren said on Thursday, adding that the US is also expediting the delivery of ammunition and other equipment in order to counter IS' increasing reliance on vehicle-borne bombs, Xinhua reported on Friday.

Since Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's visit to Washington in April, the US has also delivered 250 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, 2,000 Hellfire missiles, 10,000 sets of body armour and helmets and millions of rounds of ammunition, including small arms, tank artillery and anti-tank weapons.

The weapons are for the central government of Iraq to distribute to its army, as well as Kurdish and Sunni fighters, Warren said.

The US has insisted that its strategy of bolstering a strong central government in Iraq, rather than sending arms directly to the Kurds and Sunnis, is the best course of action against IS.