Iraqi refugees receive the first humanitarian airdrops from the UK

As the United States continues to conduct airstrikes on Islamic State fighters in Iraq, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) has airdropped its first batch of humanitarian aid to refugees in the northern part of the country who are fleeing the Islamist militants.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said that a British C-130 aircraft made the drop on Sunday morning. The airdrop has come shortly after Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond announced “a continuing drumbeat of airdrop operations” to assist the people in Iraq who are currently trapped by the militants.

The United States has brought its own aid in the form of air strikes against Islamic State fighters who are engaging Kurdish forces near the city of Irbil. The United Kingdom, however, has ruled out military action at this stage.

“The world has been shocked by the plight of the Yazidi community,” Secretary Greening said. “They face appalling conditions, cut off on Mount Sinjar after fleeing persecution by IS extremists. The UK has acted swiftly to get life-saving help to those affected. Last night the RAF successfully dropped lifesaving UK aid supplies, including clean water and filtration devices, on the mountain.”

The airdrops were sent in order to ease the suffering of refugees who are stranded on Mount Sinjar after fleeing Islamic State attacks on their homes about a week ago. The refugees number somewhere between 50,000 and 150,000.

The Islamic State has been sweeping through the northern part of Iraq, slaughtering any captives who refuse to convert to Islam. Thousands of refugees, including children, may have already lost their lives after being trapped in the mountain without basic supplies for days.

President Barack Obama said at a press conference on Saturday that he views the United States offensive in Iraq as a “long term project” to purge the country of Islamic militants and deliver much needed aid to the civilians who are suffering.

President Obama, who has ruled out sending ground troops to Iraq, had discussed the commitment to providing humanitarian relief to the refugees with Prime Minister David Cameron during a telephone conversation on Saturday.

This is the first United States offensive in Iraq since American forces were pulled out of the country in 2011 following nearly a decade of combat. President Obama said that the air strikes are meant to prevent Islamic State fighters from attacking, Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region of Iraq, where the United States has a diplomatic mission.

“I’m not going to give a particular timetable, because as I’ve said from the start, wherever and whenever US personnel and facilities are threatened, it’s my obligation, my responsibility as commander in chief, to make sure they are protected,” President Obama told reporters.

Read more about the story at BBC.