Germany to fly humanitarian aid to Iraq

BERLIN — Germany's defense minister says her country plans to fly 35 tons of humanitarian aid to northern Iraq and is still considering what military help it could send.

Minister Ursula von der Leyen told the Bild newspaper that Germany plans to send aid such as drinking water, blankets, medicine and food. She said it would be flown to Irbil and handed over to U.N. organizations.

The aid flights are planned for Friday, Bild reported.

Germany has said it plans to send non-lethal military aid such as vehicles, night-vision gear and bomb detectors. Von der Leyen was quoted as saying that "weapons are already being delivered by other nations; we are examining at present what other military equipment we can send."