By
Noémie Bisserbe

PARIS— François Hollande has called Iraq President Fouad Massoum to inform him that France would amplify its humanitarian help, and confirmed the imminent delivery of arms to Kurdish forces, the office of the French President said Thursday.

Securing support from the central government is crucial for the French government before shipping arms directly to the semiautonomous region of Kurdistan.

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters are straining to repel attacks by the Islamic State, which has gained controlled of large swaths of Syria and Iraq in recent months.

Mr. Hollande's statement comes as the U.S. is seeking to secure broad international support for its own military operation against the Islamic State. U.S. officials said Washington is exploring various ways to get ammunition and weapons from other nations to the Kurdish forces, including flying the supplies in itself.

WSJ