Latest topics
US considering new relief mission in Iraq
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
US considering new relief mission in Iraq
US considering new relief mission in Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is considering launching a humanitarian relief operation for Shiite Turkmen in northern Iraq who have been under siege for weeks by Islamic State militants, U.S. defense officials said Wednesday.
The mission, if it went forward, would be the second recent U.S. military humanitarian intervention in Iraq. U.S. cargo planes dropped tons of food and water to displaced Yazidis on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq earlier this month, supported by U.S. airstrikes on nearby Islamic State fighting positions.
The administration is now focused on the imperiled town of Amirli, which is situated about 105 miles (169 kilometers) north of Baghdad and just a few miles from Kurdish territory. An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people are estimated to have no access to food or water.
The head of the United Nation's assistance mission in Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, earlier this week called for urgent action in Amirli and described the situation as desperate.
Three U.S. defense officials said a humanitarian mission is under consideration. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss internal administration deliberations by name. The timetable for a decision on whether and how to go ahead with the mission was not immediately clear.
The siege of Amirli is part of the Islamic State's offensive, which seized large swaths of western and northern Iraq this summer and pushed further in neighboring Syria.
Residents have put up fierce resistance since the siege began, preventing the Sunni militants from successfully taking over the town. But the militants have, in turn, cut off the town, leaving thousands without access to food, water and medicine, despite recent airdrops by the Iraqi military.
Like other minorities in Iraq such as the Christians and the Yazidis, the Shiite Turkmen community has also been targeted by the Islamic State, which views them as apostates.
Tens of thousands of Turkmens, Iraq's third-largest ethnic group, have been uprooted from their homes since the Islamic State took Mosul, the northern city of Tikrit and a spate of towns and villages in the area.
Dr. Ali al-Bayati, head of an Iraq-based humanitarian group called the Turkmen Saving Foundation, said Wednesday that at least 15,000 civilians, including many women and children, remain trapped in Amirli without access to food or water.
He said the streets are blocked by Islamic State fighters and the only way out is by air. The nearest Iraqi ground force is in the town of Toz Khormatu, which has seen intense clashes in recent weeks. Electricity and water are completely cut off in Amirli, according to al-Bayati.
Al-Bayati said airdrops from the Iraqi military have provided residents with desperately needed staples like rice, oil and cheese, as well as weapons to help them resist the Islamic State. However the residents often go 10 days without any airdrops successfully reaching them.
David Pollock, a former State Department official and now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Tuesday the U.S. military could assist in opening a land corridor into Kurdish territory for the besieged Turkmen.
"It's a very urgent situation," Pollock said.
http://news.yahoo.com/sources-us-considering-relief-mission-iraq-140745577.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is considering launching a humanitarian relief operation for Shiite Turkmen in northern Iraq who have been under siege for weeks by Islamic State militants, U.S. defense officials said Wednesday.
The mission, if it went forward, would be the second recent U.S. military humanitarian intervention in Iraq. U.S. cargo planes dropped tons of food and water to displaced Yazidis on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq earlier this month, supported by U.S. airstrikes on nearby Islamic State fighting positions.
The administration is now focused on the imperiled town of Amirli, which is situated about 105 miles (169 kilometers) north of Baghdad and just a few miles from Kurdish territory. An estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people are estimated to have no access to food or water.
The head of the United Nation's assistance mission in Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov, earlier this week called for urgent action in Amirli and described the situation as desperate.
Three U.S. defense officials said a humanitarian mission is under consideration. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they could not discuss internal administration deliberations by name. The timetable for a decision on whether and how to go ahead with the mission was not immediately clear.
The siege of Amirli is part of the Islamic State's offensive, which seized large swaths of western and northern Iraq this summer and pushed further in neighboring Syria.
Residents have put up fierce resistance since the siege began, preventing the Sunni militants from successfully taking over the town. But the militants have, in turn, cut off the town, leaving thousands without access to food, water and medicine, despite recent airdrops by the Iraqi military.
Like other minorities in Iraq such as the Christians and the Yazidis, the Shiite Turkmen community has also been targeted by the Islamic State, which views them as apostates.
Tens of thousands of Turkmens, Iraq's third-largest ethnic group, have been uprooted from their homes since the Islamic State took Mosul, the northern city of Tikrit and a spate of towns and villages in the area.
Dr. Ali al-Bayati, head of an Iraq-based humanitarian group called the Turkmen Saving Foundation, said Wednesday that at least 15,000 civilians, including many women and children, remain trapped in Amirli without access to food or water.
He said the streets are blocked by Islamic State fighters and the only way out is by air. The nearest Iraqi ground force is in the town of Toz Khormatu, which has seen intense clashes in recent weeks. Electricity and water are completely cut off in Amirli, according to al-Bayati.
Al-Bayati said airdrops from the Iraqi military have provided residents with desperately needed staples like rice, oil and cheese, as well as weapons to help them resist the Islamic State. However the residents often go 10 days without any airdrops successfully reaching them.
David Pollock, a former State Department official and now a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Tuesday the U.S. military could assist in opening a land corridor into Kurdish territory for the besieged Turkmen.
"It's a very urgent situation," Pollock said.
http://news.yahoo.com/sources-us-considering-relief-mission-iraq-140745577.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
Ponee- Admin
- Posts : 38267
Join date : 2011-08-09
Dinar Daily :: DINAR/IRAQ -- NEWS -- GURUS and DISCUSSIONS :: IRAQ and DINAR -- ARTICLE BASED INFORMATION and DISCUSSIONS
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
Today at 11:16 am by kenlej
» Phony Tony sez: Full Steam Ahead!
Sat Apr 13, 2024 11:51 am by Mission1st
» Dave Schmidt - Zim Notes for Purchase (NOT PHYSICAL NOTES)
Sat Apr 13, 2024 11:45 am by Mission1st
» Russia aren't taking any prisoners
Fri Apr 05, 2024 6:48 pm by kenlej
» Deadly stampede could affect Iraq’s World Cup hopes 1/19/23
Wed Mar 27, 2024 6:02 am by Ditartyn
» ZIGPLACE
Wed Mar 20, 2024 6:29 am by Zig
» CBD Vape Cartridges
Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:10 pm by Arendac
» Classic Tony is back
Tue Mar 05, 2024 2:53 pm by Mission1st
» THE MUSINGS OF A MADMAN
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:40 am by Arendac
» Minister of Transport: We do not have authority over any airport in Iraq
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:40 am by Verina
» Did Okie Die?
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:34 am by Arendac
» Hello all, I’m new
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:46 pm by Jonny_5
» The Renfrows: Prophets for Profits, Happy Anniversary!
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:46 pm by Mission1st
» What Happens when Cancer is treated with Cannabis? VIDEO
Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:58 am by MadisonParrish
» An Awesome talk between Tucker and Russell Brand
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:16 am by kenlej
» Trafficking in children
Mon Jan 29, 2024 7:43 pm by kenlej
» The second American Revolution has begun, God Bless Texas
Mon Jan 29, 2024 6:13 pm by kenlej
» The Global Currency Reset Evolution Event Will Begin With Gold, Zimbabwe ZWR Old Bank Notes
Sun Jan 28, 2024 3:28 pm by Mission1st
» Tucker talking Canada
Wed Jan 24, 2024 6:50 pm by kenlej
» Almost to the end The goodguys are winning
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:03 pm by kenlej