GERMAN intelligence has now backed coalition forces fears Islamic State has acquired an advanced air defence missile system capable of shooting down passenger airlines.

Earlier this month, US and Iraqi forces suspected ISIS had acquired advanced air defence systems with Strela thermal anti-aircraft missiles.

Their fears were based on the shooting down of two Iraqi fighter jets in Baiji north of Tikrit and it was believed the systems were seized during the over running of Iraqi military bases or from previously attacked bases in Syria.

Concern was also raised about the acquirement and its posed threat to airspace when US Apache attack helicopters were used earlier this month to attack an ISIS advance on Baghdad airport.

The rockets cannot fire to great height but could effectively shut down airspace over an airport with attacks on aircraft landing and taking off.

OOPS: US weapon-drop accidentally lands in IS hands

Now Germany’s intelligence service BND briefed law makers in Berlin it believed they had details ISIS had acquired a range of former Syrian stocks of anti-aircraft weapons, some that dated from the 1970s while others were more modern and advanced but all capable of bringing down aircraft.

The weapons were believed to have been supplied to Syrian rebels by Qatar and the German spy group has attained footage of the Chinese-made FN6 shoulder mounted missiles in the hands of ISIS it said had also previously brought down an Iraqi helicopter.

The US had protested loudly about arming Syrian rebels with surface to air missiles, despite the then daily bombardment of civilians by the Syrian Assad regime, since it was deemed to be a “game changer” nobody wanted to risk.

But Qatar, which has been under intense pressure for months from Western Allies for financially supporting ISIS, supplied the armaments to the rebels last year anyway.

The latest revelation will give British Prime Minister David Cameron more points for discussion when he meets this week with the Emir of Qatar Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani who is visiting London.

The British press has been running a campaign for weeks urging the government to take a strong stand against the Gulf State over evidence it had been supplying funds to ISIS and other extremist Islamic groups. The US intelligence has named both Qatar and Kuwait as fertile

grounds for terror funding.