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11/22/2024 04:26:26 am

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U.S. Rescue Mission To Iraqi Refugees 'Less Likely' To Take Place

Yazidi

Displaced families from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing the violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar west of Mosul.

The U.S. mission to rescue Iraqi refugees trapped on Sinjar mountain is now unlikely to happen after a U.S. team assessed humanitarian situation was not as crucial as expected, the Pentagon said.

President Barack Obama has sent U.S. special force to northern Iraq to determine the situation and provide aid to Yazidi group. The team found far fewer civilians on Mt. Sinjar and they are in relatively good condition, Reuters reported.

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U.S. officials confirmed the military team accompanied by U.S. Agency International Development (USAID) members went to the Sinjar mountain on Wednesday night, where stranded Yazidis located.

According to reports, a team of less than 20 personnel carried out the assessment and safely returned to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region.

White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes said President Obama had prevented the 130 U.S. forces to get involved in any military role in Iraq. He also emphasized that there are alternative ways to support the safe evacuation of Iraqi refugees other than getting into combat.

Reports also indicate that the president is expected to decide on the recommendations on how to move thousands of Yazidis from Mt. Sinjar into a safer place. The U.S. had pondered either to set up a safe corridor or to organize an airlift to help the Yazidi members escape, Rhodes announced on Wednesday.

The motive of sending special troops Mt. Sinjar is to provide security assistance and guidance to Kurdish and Iraqi forces against Sunni Islamic State militants, Rhodes added.

U.S. and British military forces would continue to provide humanitarian assistance, food and water supplies to Yazidis as needed.

Other countries like Australia, Canada and France are also extending help to the troubled region, some reports said.

The French government also said they will send weapons to support the operational capacity of Iraqi forces in the battle against the militants.

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