U.S. rescue mission of displaced Iraqis unlikely
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 14 August 2014 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, U.S. rescue mission of displaced Iraqis unlikely, 14 August 2014, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/54003eef7.html [accessed 23 October 2022] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
August 14, 2014
Displaced Iraqi families from the Yazidi community cross the Iraqi-Syrian border at the Fishkhabur crossing, in northern Iraq, on August 13.
The United States says a rescue mission of displaced people from Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq is unlikely after determining there are fewer people stranded there than previously thought.
The Pentagon said in a statement that U.S. officials who visited the mountain on August 13 say the several thousand people living there are in relatively good condition.
It was previously thought that there were tens of thousands of minority Yazidis and Christians on the mountain.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel credited airdrops of water and food of sustaining those on Mount Sinjar and said U.S. air strikes had pushed back Islamic State militants, allowing thousands to escape the mountain.
The United States had been considering a rescue mission on the mountain in the belief that their situation was dire.
Hagel said U.S. military and relief efforts will continue.
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and CNN
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
