Turkey sending humanitarian aid to violence-hit Iraq

Turkey has been providing humanitarian aid to Iraq's violence-hit cities, particulary Turkmen-populated areas, Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru said on Monday.

"Humanitarian needs of our Turkmen brothers are very important," said Koru in a press conference in Ankara.

Militants led by the group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) reportedly took complete control of northwestern Turkmen-populated Iraqi district Tal Afar on Monday.

Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) has immediately begun sending humanitarian aid, tents and food supplies to Iraq, Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday on his official Twiiter account.

Deputy FM Koru also said there had been no new developments regarding the Turkish consulate staff who were abducted by ISIS in northern Iraqi city Mosul last week but said their place and stable conditions were known.

He underscored that there were no plans for a joint military operation with the United States and that they frequently discussed security issues with the U.S., other western nations and neighbors.

Unrest in northern and western parts of Iraq began last week after ISIS militants, along with other armed groups, seized Iraqi northern city of Mosul.

ISIS, which already had control of parts of Syria, has extended its reach into Iraq since June 10, when it seized Iraq's second-largest city Mosul and soon afterwards took near-complete control of the northernIraqi city of Tikrit.

Iraq has seen a marked increase in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims in recent months, which the Iraqi government blames on ISIS.