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Iraq crisis: US team assess Mount Sinjar situation | Iraq crisis: US team assess Mount Sinjar situation |
(about 1 hour later) | |
A US military team in Iraq has flown to Mount Sinjar in the north, where tens of thousands are trapped, to assess the situation, officials say. | A US military team in Iraq has flown to Mount Sinjar in the north, where tens of thousands are trapped, to assess the situation, officials say. |
Defence officials said the operation took place earlier on Wednesday, and all personnel had now returned safely to their base in Irbil. | Defence officials said the operation took place earlier on Wednesday, and all personnel had now returned safely to their base in Irbil. |
The US has sent hundreds of military advisers to Iraq to help people fleeing militant group Islamic State (IS). | The US has sent hundreds of military advisers to Iraq to help people fleeing militant group Islamic State (IS). |
IS fighters have seized large swathes of northern Iraq in recent months. | IS fighters have seized large swathes of northern Iraq in recent months. |
Tens of thousands of people from religious minorities have been forced to flee their homes. | Tens of thousands of people from religious minorities have been forced to flee their homes. |
'Humanitarian crisis' | 'Humanitarian crisis' |
Wednesday's operation at Sinjar was focused on assessing whether to try to evacuate those trapped on the mountain, US officials said. | |
The BBC has learned that it was a team of 20, all of whom were US Special Forces, and the operation lasted less than 24 hours. | |
The US has said it is considering airlifts and the creation of safe passages for fleeing civilians - but insists no US ground forces will be in a combat role. | The US has said it is considering airlifts and the creation of safe passages for fleeing civilians - but insists no US ground forces will be in a combat role. |
The UN says members of the Yazidi sect are among those who are stranded in desperate conditions on Mount Sinjar. | The UN says members of the Yazidi sect are among those who are stranded in desperate conditions on Mount Sinjar. |
On Wednesday, the UN declared the Iraq crisis a "level three emergency", its highest level of humanitarian crisis. | On Wednesday, the UN declared the Iraq crisis a "level three emergency", its highest level of humanitarian crisis. |
Planes have been dropping aid supplies on Mount Sinjar for several nights - but US officials said this was not sustainable. | Planes have been dropping aid supplies on Mount Sinjar for several nights - but US officials said this was not sustainable. |
"There needs to be a lasting solution that gets that population to a safe space where they can receive more permanent assistance," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said. | "There needs to be a lasting solution that gets that population to a safe space where they can receive more permanent assistance," deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said. |
The US has also continued to conduct air strikes on IS targets in Iraq's north. | |
France says it will arm Iraq's Kurds, who are already getting US military aid to fight IS. | |
The UK has pledged to join a rescue mission for displaced civilians. | |
The UN estimates that 1.2 million Iraqis have been internally displaced by the crisis. | |
Kurdish officials in the province of Dohuk told the BBC's Frank Gardner that about 150,000 refugees in the area, overwhelming the local population who were trying to feed them. | |
The rapid advance across Iraq by IS militant fighters has thrown the country into chaos. | The rapid advance across Iraq by IS militant fighters has thrown the country into chaos. |
IS overran Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, in June. Its fighters had taken the central city of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi in December 2013. | IS overran Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, in June. Its fighters had taken the central city of Falluja and parts of nearby Ramadi in December 2013. |
On 29 June, IS said it had created a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq. | On 29 June, IS said it had created a caliphate, or Islamic state, stretching from Aleppo in Syria to the province of Diyala in Iraq. |
The jihadist group, previously called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), was formed in April 2013, growing out of al-Qaeda in Iraq. | |
The group has gained a reputation for brutal rule in the areas that it controls, and has since been disavowed by al-Qaeda. | |
It is one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces in Syria and Iraq. |