Police and medics in Iraq say a series of car bombs across the capital killed at least 21 people on Tuesday.

A wave in bombings has hit Baghdad in the last month, most claimed by fighters from the group calling itself Islamic State (ISIL).

The group surged towards Baghdad in June after seizing the northern city of Mosul but have not captured the capital.

Syrian Kurdish fighters have been battling an ISIL offensive near Turkey’s border with Syria since September.

As ISIL continue their attack on multiple fronts, fighters from the group have released video footage showing they picked up arms air-dropped by the US destined to help the Kurds resist their advance.

Boxes of grenades, weapons, ammunition and medical supplies have ended up in the hands of ISIL.

Much of the air-dropped supplies did, in fact, reach the Syrian Kurdish fighters for whom it was destined.

Meanwhile, Turkey, which has so far declined to take a frontline role in the battle against ISIL, said it was now helping Iraqi Kurdish fighters cross into Syria to support their brethren fighting in and around Kobani.

Ankara views the Syrian Kurds with deep suspicion because of their ties to the PKK – a group that has been waging a decades-long militant campaign for Kurdish rights in Turkey.