U.S. Humanitarian Assistance in Iraq

President Obama successfully carried out a first of possibility many humanitarian missions over Iraq, dropping rations of food and water over the Sinjar mountains located in Northwestern Iraq near the Syrian border. Forty thousand Yazidis fled to the mountains after ISUS raided their town just below the mountains. This large group of people are literally starving to death. Forty have already died because of dehydration. The reason for the mass exodus of these people from their homes is because ISUS threatened these people to the extent that they would kill anyone who did not convert to Islam. It is estimated that there are as many as 25,000 children with no access to food or water, except for the food and water dropped off by American military planes just a few hours ago.
President Obama met with his national security team. At a news conference this evening, President Obama said that he authorized two operations in Iraq. First were targeted air strikes to help protect U.S. personnel, and a humanitarian effort to help Iraqi civilians, trapped on the Sinjar mountains, surrounded by ISUS militants. Without the food and water that President Obama sent to these people, they would have faced certain death.

As President Obama stated in the recent past, the United States would be prepared to take military action if and when the situation in Iraq required it. As noted in recent days, especially with the fleeing of Iraqi citizens from their homes now hiding in the mountains. Also, ISUS is nearing the city if Erbil, where there are diplomats serving in a U.S. Consulate. If there were any threats to this Consulate, the President vows to defend it with military force. Then and only then will the President authorize 'boots on the ground'. Before any such ground mission, the President vowed to take targeted air strikes against ISUS convoys, if they decided to move closer to the city of Mosul. to protect all American interests in the country of Iraq.

ISUS continues to rein terror on Iraqi citizens, as there have been mass executions of anyone not willing to convert to Islam, to include enslavement of Yazidis women. In the recent days these men women and children have fled Sinjar for their lives. ISUS now has called for the systematic elimination of the Yazidis people which would constitute genocide, in which the President of the United States claims that we cannot just stand by and let the atrocities happen.

At the same time, the President claims that we cannot take every global situation in our own hands to help solve a specific problem, but due to the humanitarian issue that now exists on top of the mountain, the President is compelled to provide help. There has also been a mandate issued by the Iraqi government and other countries for the request for help, along with our ability to help avert a massacre. The President then says that we have a responsibility to help. As he stated, we cannot "turn a blind eye". People on Capital Hill have also pushed for American intervention regarding this Iraqi issue that is now affect tens of thousands misplaced families from their homes.

It is also expected that this first drop of food and water will not be the last. In the meantime, the President has sent several military people to help coordinate the Iraqi military to push ISUS back and away from the mountain, so that people there can return to their homes.