Iraq PM orders air strikes to support Kurds

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday ordered the airforce to provide support to Kurdish peshmerga forces battling jihadists in the north of the country, army spokesman Qassem Atta said. ‘The commander in chief of the armed forces has issued orders to the leadership of the airforce and the army's aviation units to provide air support to peshmerga forces,’ he said in a statement, according to AFP.