The US had approved the sale to Iraq of $600 million in tank ammunition, Washington announced on Monday.

The US had approved the sale to Iraq of $600 million in tank ammunition, Washington announced on Monday.

The arms deal would help the Iraqi government establish an integrated ground defense capability, the government said.

Congress now has 30 days to block the sale, although such action is rare since arms deals are usually vetted carefully before a congressional notification.

The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, or DSCA, notified lawmakers that the State Department had approved the sale of 10,000 M831 120m, high-explosive anti-tank munitions, 10,000 M865 120mm kinetic energy warheads and 26,000 other munitions, as well as logistics services.

DSCA said the prime contractor would be General Dynamics, maker of the M1A1 Abrams tank and the requested munitions.

The US military has been conducting air strikes against militants of the Takfiri group operating in Iraq and Syria, ISIL.