Germany Urges Kurdistan to Keep Better Tabs on Arms

Germany on Friday called on the government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region to ensure that arms provided by Berlin were only used by Kurdish peshmerga fighting the Islamic State group.

German public broadcasters WDR and NDR reported earlier that weapons from the German military, including G3 assault rifles and various pistols, were spotted on sale in markets in northern Iraq.

German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung said the arms might have been sold by former peshmerga fighters.

"We have asked the representative of the (Kurdistan) regional government (in Germany) to come to the foreign ministry," spokesman Martin Schaefer told reporters.

"We expect the Kurdistan government and peshmerga officials to work with speed and determination to address these accusations," he said.

If such practices are confirmed, Schaefer added, "they must be stopped immediately and completely".

Following a long and anguished debate, Germany decided in August 2014 to arm the peshmerga in their struggle against IS fighters.