A German Government flight carrying humanitarian relief supplies for internally displaced persons in northern Iraq arrived in Erbil on 18 August. The Airbus A310 chartered by the Federal Foreign Office took off from Schönefeld Airport in Berlin in the morning and transported enough medical supplies and equipment for 20,000 people for three months, as well as tents, blankets, water canisters and kitchen sets. The relief supplies will be handed to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), which is in charge of distributing supplies.

Christoph Strässer, Federal Government Commissioner for Human Rights Policy and Humanitarian Aid at the Federal Foreign Office, also travelled on the flight to Erbil. The aim of his three-day visit is to discuss the need and possibilities for additional German aid measures with representatives of the local government and with German and international aid organisations. Strässer will also travel to Dohuk Governorate in the far north of the country. This province is most affected by the influx of internally displaced persons.

Since the start of the crisis, the Federal Foreign Office has provided 4.4 million euros in humanitarian aid.