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Iraq crisis: US says Mount Sinjar evacuation unlikely | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The US says it is unlikely to launch a mission to evacuate Iraqis trapped by Islamist fighters on Mount Sinjar. | |
A Special Forces team flew to the mountain and found fewer people than expected, and those remaining were also in a better condition than feared, the Pentagon said. | |
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. |
The UN had estimated that tens of thousands of people, most from religious minorities, were besieged on the mountain after being forced to flee their homes. | |
Members of the Yazidi sect are among those stranded on Mount Sinjar. | |
However, in a statement, the Pentagon said there were now "far fewer Yazidis on Mount Sinjar than previously feared", partly because thousands had evacuated from the mountain each night over the past days. | |
"The Yazidis who remain are in better condition than previously believed and continue to have access to the food and water that we have dropped," the statement said. | |
"Based on this assessment... an evacuation mission is far less likely." | |
The statement added that the US would continue to provide humanitarian assistance. | |
Air strikes | |
Wednesday's operation had been focused on assessing whether to try to evacuate those trapped on the mountain. | |
Earlier, the US had said it was considering airlifts and the creation of safe passages for fleeing civilians - but insisted no US ground forces would be in a combat role. | |
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. | |
The US has also continued to conduct air strikes on IS targets in Iraq's north. | 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. Meanwhile, 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. | 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. | 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 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. | 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. | It is one of the main jihadist groups fighting government forces in Syria and Iraq. |