'America IS Coming to Help': Obama to Bomb Iraq to Save Thousands of Non-Muslim Refugees
-Trapped on Mountains and Facing Starvation or Slaughter by ISIS Fanatics
- 'Today America is coming to help', he told Iraqis in address on U.S. TV
- Tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities remain cut off by ISIS militants
- He said U.S. warplanes had already carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid
- David Cameron welcomes strikes but rules out British military involvement
- Pope begs world leaders to step in as Iraq's main Christian city is sacked
Daily Mail UK, 8 August 2014
GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING:
ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting down and slaughtering religious minorities, including Christians and members of the Yazidi sect, who they have denounced as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs. U.S. president Barack Obama said warplanes airdropped food and water supplies to the tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped on Sinjar mountain, which has been surrounded by ISIS fighters. But already hundreds of Yazidis, including women and children, have been murdered as the ISIS hoards close in. Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the bodies of dozens of young children killed by the Islamic extremists, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidis.
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We're coming to help': Mr Obama said American military planes had already
airdropped aid to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities surrounded and cut off by ISIS militants
Barack Obama today authorised US airstrikes in northern Iraq to defend hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims being hunted down and slaughtered by ISIS hoards as he declared: 'America is coming to help.'
His dramatic call to arms came as the chaos engulfing Iraq escalated rapidly last night with a re-energised Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant storming towns in the north, executing villagers and chasing thousands from their homes into the desert.
Already dozens of Yazidis - who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshippers because of their ancient set of beliefs which predate Christianity and Islam - have been murdered as the extremist fighters overran the town of Sinjar.
Tens of thousands of terrified Yazidis have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the surrounding mountains. But there they face another killer: searing desert heat and the constant threat of starvation. Many have already died of hunger and thirst as they struggle to survive on just the food they could carry in temperatures exceeding 42C.
Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the bodies of dozens of young children apparently killed by ISIS militants, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidi men.
The dead men's wives were reportedly kept as trophies to be gifted to unmarried jihadist fighters.
In a televised late-night statement from the White House, Mr Obama said American warplanes had already carried out airdrops of food and water to the Iraqi Yazidis hiding in the mountains.
'Today America is coming to help,' he declared, adding: 'The United States cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world.
'So let me be clear about why we must act, and act now: when we face a situation like we do on that mountain -- with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on a horrific scale, when we have a mandate to help . . . and when we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye.'
ISIS fighters beat back the Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Iraq's most formidable fighting force who have thus far fought tirelessly to defend their northern heartland, but are becoming stretched thin across several fronts.
In what will be seen as a major coup for the extremist force, they seized the Mosul Dam - Iraq's largest - which gives them control over Baghdad's water supply.
Panic even began to tear through the Kurdish capital of Erbil, long considered a safe haven, where civilians flooded the airport in a futile attempt to buy tickets to Baghdad.
Innocent: Yazidi Iraqis on Mount Sinjar carry the bodies of children killed by ISIS. ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting down
and slaughtering members of the ancient Yazidi religion, a faith derived from Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam
Ruthless: An ISIS fighter poses next to a dead Yazidi. ISIS have denounced the Yazidis as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient
set of beliefs and have issued them with an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death
Split: There are three main religious groups in Iraq: Shia Arabs, the country's majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, who are religiously Sunni but divided by their ethnicity. The is also a minority of Christians scattered across northern Iraq, who comprise just over 1 per cent of the population (450,000). ISIS, who are Sunni Arab, have forced tens of thousands of Yazidis - an ancient religion that predates Islam - from their heartland in the town Sinjar into surrounding mountains where they face extreme heat and starvation
Displaced civilians flee as Obama promises to send help:
Meanwhile, Pope Francis begged world leaders to help end the crisis, after Iraq's largest Christian town was sacked sending tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing into the desert.
Yesterday ISIS captured Qaraqush and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters.
'(The Christians) have fled with nothing but their clothes, some of them on foot, to reach the Kurdistan region,' Patriarch Sako told AFP. 'This is a humanitarian disaster; the churches are occupied, their crosses were taken down.' He added that up to 1,500 manuscripts were burnt.
The Vatican said in a statement: 'His Holiness addresses an urgent appeal to the international community to take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway, to act to protect those affected or threatened by violence and to provide aid, especially for the most urgent needs of the many who have been forced to flee and who depend on the solidarity of others.'
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WHO ARE THE YAZIDIS?
There are about 700,000 Yazidis in the world, living chiefly in northern Iraq and on Mount Sinjar.
They are ethnically Kurdish but adhere to a religion founded some 6,000 years ago by an Ummayyad sheikh.
The religion, while it predates Christianity and Islam, incorporates elements of each, as well as Zoroastrianism, an ancient belief founded by an Iranian philosopher in around 6BC.
The Yazidis live in small communities mainly scattered through northwest Iraq, north west Syria and south east Turkey, although members are also found in Georgia and Armenia.
Accounts of their population vary, with estimates ranging from 50,000 to a million, and their number has fallen considerably over the past 100 years.
Despite this, they have a well-organised society, following a chief sheikh as their religious leader and an emir, or prince, as the secular head.
The religion is centred around worship of the fallen archangel Melek Tawwus, or Pea**** Angel.
But unlike Satan's fall from grace, Melek Tawwus was readmitted into Heaven by God and represents humanity's potential for both good and evil.
For this reason, the Yazidis have unfairly garnered a reputation as devil-worshippers among certain faiths, ....and have faced centuries of alienation, oppression and attempted extermination. Yazidis - who do not believe in hell or evil - deny they are.
Many Yazidi traditions are shrouded in such secrecy that most have never been witnessed by outsiders. Yazidis regard marriage outside their faith as a sin punishable by ostracism or even death to restore lost honour.
Most Yazidis, even young people, choose to live in their isolated communities, though they often face extreme poverty.
The Yazidis have been targeted before, and claim to have been subjected to 72 genocides during the Ottoman rule of the 18th and 19th centuries.
In 2007 a series of massive truck bombs in northern Iraq killed nearly 500 villagers from the group in August 2007.
Now, forced to flee after the Islamic State group gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee or face death, the plight of these secretive people is under the world's spotlight.
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While Iraq's Christian population has declined steeply since the end of the Iraq War, there are still some 450,000 - 1.2 per cent of the country - still living there.
Today's announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war.
Mr Obama, who made his remarks in a steady and sombre tone, has staked much of his legacy as president on ending what he has called the 'dumb war' in Iraq.
The president said the humanitarian airdrops were made at the request of the Iraqi government.
The food and water supplies were delivered to the tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped on Sinjar mountain without food and water.
The Yazidis fled their homes after the Islamic State group overran the city of Sinjar, issuing an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death. Tens of thousands have scattered into the surrounding mountains where they face a daily battle for survival in extreme heat. Many have already died of starvation and thirst.
ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting and slaughtering members of the ancient Yazidi religion, a faith derived from Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam, who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs.
Mindful of the public's aversion to another lengthy war, Mr Obama acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of US military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans.
He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no US military solution to the crisis.
'As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,' Mr Obama said.
Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Irbil and the US consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq.
The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq.
'When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action,' Mr Obama said. 'That's my responsibility as commander in chief.'
He said he had also authorised the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians.
The president spoke following a day of urgent discussions with his national security team.
He addressed the nation only after the American military aircraft delivering food and water to the Iraqis had safely left the drop site in northern Iraq.
The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water.
They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region.
The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude.
The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the US has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre.
In those cases, Mr Obama said, 'we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide'.
Officials said the US was prepared to undertake additional humanitarian airdrops if necessary, though they did not say how quickly those missions could occur.
And today, David Cameron welcomed US President Obama's decision to authorise airstrikes, saying the world must help religious minorities in Iraq who are under threat from the militants 'in their hour of desperate need' - but ruled out any British military intervention.
President Barack Obama discusses the situation in Iraq...
Dying: It is reported that dozens of people, mostly children, have died of hunger and thirst since ISIS fighters surrounded Mount Sinjar
Hunted down: A Yazidi girl rests on the ground as she flees with her family from the encroaching ISIS hoards
Not enough: Villagers say food delivered by the Iraqi army by helicopters is insufficient
and people are beginning to die of starvation and thirst in the extreme heat
Fleeing: Officials said, tens of thousands of Iraqis, mainly Yazidi and Christian families, living in Iraq's Sinjar
district bordering Syria were desperately trying to escape the country for fear of massacres by the militants
Safe for now: Iraqi Christians who fled the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kilometres east of the northern province
of Nineveh, rest upon their arrival at the Saint-Joseph church in the Kurdish city of Arbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region
Scared: ISIS hoards have been particularly ruthless in their treatment of Iraqi Christians. Thousands have fled since ISIS seized Qaraqush, Iraq's largest Christian town, and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters, inhabitants said
A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK was 'not planning a military intervention'.
But Prime Minister Cameron said: 'I have tasked officials to urgently establish what more we can do to provide help to those affected, including those in grave need of food, water and shelter in the Sinjar area.
He said he had asked officials to look into what assistance the UK can provide.
In a statement on Friday morning, Mr Cameron said: 'I welcome president Obama's decision to accept the Iraqi government's request for help and to conduct targeted US air strikes, if necessary, to help Iraqi forces as they fight back against Isil terrorists to free the civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar.
'And I fully agree with the President that we should stand up for the values we believe in - the right to freedom and dignity, whatever your religious beliefs.'
U.S. administration officials said they believe unilateral US strikes would be consistent with international law in part because the Iraqi government has asked for Washington to take military action.
They also said Mr Obama had the constitutional authority to act on his own in order to protect American citizens.
Isis fighters reportedly gained control of this dam in Mosul, giving them power over the main water supply to Baghdad
Fight back:
Soldiers of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shiite volunteers take position during fighting with ISIS fighters, in Amerly town, northeastern Baghdad. The Kurds, who suffered horrifically under Saddam Hussein, have exploited the recent crisis to grant themselves greater autonomy
Brave: But the Kurds have nonetheless fought tirelessly against the ISIS hoards in a
desperate bid to protect their heartland and other religious denominations under threat
Fighting on:
Thousands of ethnic minorities, including Christians and Yazidi Kurds, have fled their homes after the ISIS hoard seized
Qaraqush, Iraq's largest Christian town, and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters (pictured)
Still, there was no guarantee that the president's threat of military strikes would actually be followed by action.
He similarly authorised strikes in Syria last summer after chemical weapons were deployed, but those attacks were never carried out, in part because of domestic political concerns and also because an international agreement to strip Syria of its stockpiles of the deadly gases.
The president has also faced persistent calls to take military action in Syria on humanitarian grounds, given that more than 170,000 people have been killed there.
Critics, including some Republicans in Congress, have argued that Mr Obama's cautious approach to Syria has allowed the Islamic State group to flourish there, growing strong enough to move across the border with Iraq and make swift gains.
Back to Iraq? The announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq
since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war
In light of the militants' advances, Mr Obama sent about 800 US forces to Iraq earlier this year, with those troops largely split between joint operation centres in Baghdad and Irbil.
More than half are providing security for the embassy and US personnel. American service members also are involved in improving US intelligence, providing security cooperation and conducting assessments of Iraqi capabilities.
Officials said there were no plans to evacuate those Americans from Iraq but that the US was conducting enhanced intelligence flights over Irbil with both manned and unmanned aircrafts in order to monitor the deteriorating conditions.
If the president were to order actual airstrikes in Iraq, it is all but certain he would proceed without formal congressional approval.
Politicians left town last week for a five-week recess, and there was no sign that Congress was being called back.
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