Despite its reluctance to send troops, Germany is deploying some 40 soldiers to Iraq to train Kurdish forces fighting against the ISIS terrorist group. It likewise said about 30 Kurdish soldiers will undergo military training back in Germany.

In August, Germany said it will provide 16,000 assault rifles, hundreds of anti-tank weapons and armored vehicles to the Kurds to help it fight the extremist Islamic State group.

Augen Geradeaus, a German military news site, said each arms shipment will be accompanied by six German soldiers.

According to the Associated Press and Deutsche Welle, Germany will be supplying the following arms and ammunition to the kurdish fighters:

  • 8,000 G3 assault rifles; 2 million rounds of ammunition
  • 8,000 G36 assault rifles; 4 million rounds of ammunition
  • 40 MG3 heavy machine guns; 1 million rounds of ammunition
  • 8,000 P1 pistols; 1 million rounds of ammunition
  • 30 MILAN anti-tank weapons; 500 guided rockets
  • 200 shoulder-fired Panzerfaust 3 rocket launchers; 2,500 rockets
  • 40 heavy rocket lauchers; 1,000 rockets
  • 100 flare guns; 4,00 rounds
  • 10,000 hand grenades
  • 40 WOLF jeeps
  • 20 lightly armored WOLF jeeps
  • 40 UNIMOG trucks
  • 1 tanker truck
  • 5 DINGO-1 armored vehicles.

Meantime, Germany has banned the conduct of all ISIS-related activity in the country.

Included in the ban are social media support, participating in demonstrations, aiding the group financially as well as displays of the militant group's signature black flag.

Germany's Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said anyone found guilty of those demeanors "is a crime with immediate effect." Violators could face jail time.

Wolfgang Bosbach, a senior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union, lauded the initiative, saying just plain banning the organisation per se "may not have had the desired impact."

"This is aimed at smashing an organizational structure, to rob members of grass-roots support for their activities," Bosbach told ARD public television.

Among the symbols banned in Germany include the

Black flag with writing 'La Ilaha illa Allah' and 'ad-Dawla al-Islamiya fil-Iraq wash-Sham:'

Black flag with writing at top 'La Ilaha illa Allah, Allah, Rasul, Muhammad' (in circle) and 'Dawlat al-Khilafa al-Islamiya;'

Black flag with writing 'La Ilaha illa Allah' and in the circle 'Allah, Rasul, Muhammad;'

Logo of the IS media outlet 'Mu'assasat Ajnad;'

Logo of the IS media outlet 'al-I'tisam lil-Intaj al-I'lami;'

Logo of the IS media outlet 'Mu'assasat al-Furqan lil-Intaj al-I'lami'.

Exact images of these symbols can be found here.