President Obama has approved a mission to to drop humanitarian aid in Iraq for the 40,000 or so religious minorities stranded on a mountaintop in the country's north after Islamic militants forced them to flee, senior U.S. officials told Fox News Thursday night.
However, the officials said the air drops had not yet begun.
If all goes well, they said, the mission will be completed following a single pass of U.S. military cargo jets. The officials did not disclose the planes' starting point due to host nation sensitivities.
It was possible the mission also could include air strikes to protect those delivering the aid and dissuade militants from stealing the supplies.
Earlier Thursday, the White House stopped short of committing America's military to stopping a potential 'genocide' in Iraq, declining to say whether doing so is in 'America's core interests.' Airstrikes in particular would mark a significant shift in the U.S. strategy in Iraq, as Islamic State (IS), the militant group formerly known as ISIS, makes further gains in the country.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest would not say at Thursday's briefing what would trigger a military response.
He said the situation is nearing a 'humanitarian catastrophe' and is one 'we are deeply concerned about and closely monitoring.' Earnest claimed Obama has demonstrated a willingness to use military force to protect America's core interests.
But when asked repeatedly by Fox News whether preventing a genocide -- as some have warned could happen in northern Iraq -- counts as being in America's core interests, Earnest did not answer directly.
'The reason that is an important question is that we have seen a couple of different situations where there have been urgent conditions where innocent civilians were under extreme duress and at a heightened risk of slaughter,' Earnest said.
Asked the same question twice more, Earnest responded that 'each of these situations is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.'
Earnest and other administration officials argue there is no American military solution to Iraq's problems and the country must seek a political solution. But the administration acknowledged that the situation on the ground in northern Iraq is dire.
The administration, along with the United Nations, is facing increasing pressure to get more involved to prevent the crisis from worsening.
Two recent developments have shaken the international community.
Most recently, IS militants seized control Thursday of the country's largest Christian city, Qaraqoush -- reportedly telling its residents to leave, convert or die and sending tens of thousands of civilians and Kurdish fighters fleeing from the area, according to several priests in northern Iraq.
The capture of Qaraqoush, Iraq's biggest Christian city, and at least four other nearby hamlets, brings the group to the very edge of the Iraqi Kurdish territory and its regional capital, Irbil.
Last week, the Islamic State also seized the northwestern town of Sinjar, forcing tens of thousands of people from the ancient Yazidi minority to flee into the mountains and the Kurdish region.
According to the U.N., between 35,000 and 50,000 fled to nearby Mount Sinjar and other areas, 'reportedly surrounded by ISIS armed elements' and lacking water and other aid.
The highest level statement on the matter has come from Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the U.N.
Power condemned the attacks 'that have reportedly led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people, many from vulnerable minority communities, deepening Iraq's already acute humanitarian crisis.' She urged all parties to allow 'safe access' to the U.N. and its partners to deliver aid, including to families stuck on Mount Sinjar.
'The United States is committed to helping the people of Iraq as they confront the security and humanitarian challenges in their fight against [IS],' she said, urging Iraq's leaders to swiftly form a 'new, fully inclusive government.'
http://ift.tt/1m1lLds contributed to this report. Entities 0 Name: Iraq Count: 11 1 Name: Earnest Count: 5 2 Name: U.S. Count: 4 3 Name: America Count: 4 4 Name: Mount Sinjar Count: 2 5 Name: ISIS Count: 2 6 Name: Fox News Count: 2 7 Name: Qaraqoush Count: 2 8 Name: Obama Count: 2 9 Name: U.N. Count: 2 10 Name: White House Count: 1 11 Name: Josh Earnest Count: 1 12 Name: Sinjar Count: 1 13 Name: United Nations Count: 1 14 Name: United States Count: 1 15 Name: Irbil Count: 1 16 Name: Islamic State Count: 1 17 Name: Samantha Power Count: 1 18 Name: U.N. Power Count: 1 19 Name: Yazidi Count: 1 20 Name: Associated Press Count: 1 Related 0 Url: http://ift.tt/X4HAkS Title: White House 'Gravely Concerned' for Trapped Iraqis Description: White House spokesman Josh Earnest declined to confirm a report published by The New York Times Thursday that said U.S. President Barack Obama is considering airstrikes and emergency relief airdrops to help 40,000 religious minorities in Iraq who are trapped on a mountaintop after death threats by Islamic militants.