Read more about the UK government’s response to the situation in Iraq.
A Downing Street spokesperson said:
The government is stepping up its efforts to help Iraq defeat ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) terrorists.
Work is underway to supply non-lethal equipment to Kurdish forces in the coming days, including night vision equipment and body armour.
The special representative, proposed by the Prime Minister last weekend, has also been appointed. Lieutenant General Sir Simon Mayall will take on the role of Government Security Envoy to the Kurdistan region of Iraq alongside his existing role as the government’s senior defence adviser for the Middle East.
As the Government’s Security Envoy to Iraq’s Kurdistan region, General Mayall will support Kurdish and wider Iraqi efforts to counter ISIL and work with Iraq’s leaders as they establish a unity government.
General Mayall’s extensive experience of the region means he will be able to draw on a broad range of existing relationships across Iraq, the region and with close allies.
He will travel to Iraq next week to meet with political leaders in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government in Erbil as part of our ongoing work to encourage all Iraqi communities to unite together against the common enemy that is ISIL.