Turkey sends non-lethal military aid to Iraq

Turkey on Tuesday sent two plane-loads of non-lethal military aid to Iraq, semi-official Anatolia news agency reported.

Two C-130 military cargo planes landed at al-Muthanna air base, 20 km east of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Tuesday, Anatolia said.

The military aid includes camouflage desert caps, assault vests, helmets, sleeping bags, blankets for 500 soldiers, and 50 cold weather tents, Anatolia reported, quoting an official.

The delivery came a day before Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz's two-day visit to Iraq for talks on fighting Islamic State (IS) militants.

Yilmaz will start in Baghdad before heading to the Kurdish-run northern Iraq for discussions with Kurdish officials.

The Turkish Embassy in Baghdad said that Turkey will continue to stand by its allies in the Iraqi government as part of the anti-IS coalition.

On Monday, Yilmaz said Turkey will continue to evaluate its "added contribution" to a major operation to reclaim Mosul, a key Iraqi city, from IS control.

"In due time, Turkey will issue an evaluation which takes into account our national interests and fulfills our responsibilities of coalition membership," he said.

Mosul fell to IS militants last June as they spread through northern Iraq heading toward Baghdad. They set up a self-declared caliphate along the border between Iraq and Syria after they met virtually no resistance from the army.

Washington has been training and equipping the Iraqi military to reclaim former areas that were under IS control.

Months of air strikes have been waged against IS targets by the U.S. and its allies, and recapturing Mosul is expected to be crucial in this battle. Endit