Canada is sending two military cargo planes and about 30 crew members – to bring weapons to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq.

It’s part of the international effort to bolster the forces fighting extremist Sunnis.

Prime minister Harper announced the decision – after convening a meeting of the cabinet committee that oversees national security.

Ottawa describes the onslaught of hardline Islamic terrorists through northern Iraq as “a serious threat to stability in the region, as well as to global security.”

Canada says the military cargo flights will continue as long as there is equipment and supplies to be moved.