Berlin, Aug 20 (IANS): Germany is prepared to supply weapons to Kurds in northern Iraq,announced Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen jointly announced Wednesday Wednesday after a cabinet meeting here.

Germany will proceed with the military aid "with great moderation" and coordinate "very closely" with its European and international partners, Steinmeier said.

Von der Leyen said that the government was prepared to "provide weapons and ammunition to the fighters in northern Iraq to the best of our ability", Xinhua reported citing German media.

The decision on which weapons could be delivered in a reasonable and responsible way and would be made in the next one week, the media reports said.

So far, in addition to humanitarian aid, the German government has supplied military equipment such as bullet-proof vests, helmets and night vision goggles or vans for the fight against the militants of the Islamic State (IS) Sunni extremist group.