Calgary Kurds rally at City Hall against ISIS brutality

Members of Calgary's Kurdish community gathered Sunday at City Hall to protest the brutal massacres of Yazidis, Christians and Arabs by the terrorist group ISIS and called for greater international support for Kurdish fighters battling the group.

ISIS, or the Islamic State, militants have captured vast swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria over the past several months with the goal of establishing an Islamic caliphate. Just this week, the group captured nearly a dozen towns and villages in Syria's Aleppo province and is currently engaged in a battle with Kurdish forces over the strategic Mosul Dam in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region.

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"We urge the international communities to stand with Canada and the United States of America to take effective measures to support and fight along [with] Kurdish forces to protect global stability and security," the rally organizers said in a press release.

"[Islamic State fighters] have brutally massacred thousands of Kurdish Yazidi, Christianand Arab children, women and men. Their message is clear: establish a Sunni caliphate across the Levant at any cost."

About 200 people attended the rally, which was peaceful.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced last week that two of Canada's military cargo planes will soon by ferrying weapons to Kurdish forces to counter the "barbarous attacks" of Islamic State fighters.

The flights will include some 30 air force personnel from Canadian Forces Base Trenton, east of Toronto.

Canada isn't the only country offering aid in the fight against the Islamic State militants.

France has pledged to ship weapons to the Kurds while Britain is delivering ammunition and military supplies from eastern European nations and is considering sending more weaponry.

Germany, the Netherlands and other European Union members have also said they would consider requests to arm the Kurds.

The U.S. is already sending arms and began targeting Islamic State fighters with airstrikes about a week ago.