France pleaded for Iraqi Kurds armament as the US announced they are being armed by ‘various sources’ on the pretext that they should be ready to confront an “IS” sweeping on Kurdish regions in northern Iraq

France pleaded for Iraqi Kurds armament as the US announced they are being armed by ‘various sources’ on the pretext that they should be ready to confront an “IS” sweeping on Kurdish regions in northern Iraq.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Monday called on the European Union to "mobilize" to respond to appeals from Iraqi Kurds for arms to fight the so-called Islamic State terrorists. In a letter to EU foreign affairs supremo Catherine Ashton, Fabius said: "It is crucial that the European Union mobilizes from today to respond to this appeal for help."

Meanwhile, a US State Department official said Monday that Iraqi Kurds are "being armed by various sources" in the fight against ‘IS.’ The official added that "they are getting something rapidly", refusing to name which countries were involved.
  
Asked if the United States was supplying weapons, he replied: "I can't go into that. "There are a lot of discussions taking place between a lot of countries," he added. "They are getting something rapidly."
  
The comments came as US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Sydney for annual military talks with Australia.

Security sources said Monday that IS terrorists had defeated Kurdish troops in the flashpoint Iraqi town of Jalawla, killing at least 10 in a fierce two-day battle.

France and Britain have pledged support for a US-led operation helping Iraqi civilians -- many of them from the Yazidi minority -- who are fleeing a murderous advance by IS militants.