World Bulletin / News Desk

Greece has reportedly decided to send Kurdish Peshmerga forces in northern Iraq ammunition to support them in their battle against advancing ISIL militants, who have taken swathes of land across Iraq and Syria.

The supplies consist of bullets that are suitable for Kalashnikov assault rifles that were confiscated by Greek port authorities, Bas News reported.

Legally Greece is not allowed to sell the ammunition and cannot be used by the Greek army, therefore the Greek Ministry of Defense has decided to donate the bullets to the Iraqi Kurdish forces.

As the US-led coalition proceeds to bomb ISIL targets from the air, Western states have objected to sending in ground troops to fight against the militants, all the while acknowledging that air strikes will not be enough to defeat them.

There have been calls to train and arm allied groups on the ground, including Kurdish Regional Government forces and 'moderate' opposition groups in Syria, but this does not extend to helping the Bashar al-Assad's Syrian regime which is also at war with ISIL.

However, there has been concern that unless the coalition sends in ground troops, weapons supplied to allied groups may fall into the hands of ISIL rebels, who have gained much of their fire-power as war booty left over from battles.

There is also debate in regards to which groups should be armed, with Turkey fearing that Kurdish rebel group PKK - which is internationally listed as a terrorist organization - may take advantage of the war against ISIL to seek legitimacy and Western-backing.