The moment Obama began bombing Iraq: First picture emerges of US air strike on ISIS artillery as President carries out his threat to use force to save thousands of non-Muslims trapped by fanatics GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: This story contains images of death that some readers may find disturbing Two F/A18 fighters dispatched to unleash 500lb laser-guided bombs on Islamic militants outside Kurdish capital Erbil It is Americas first military offensive in Iraq since it pulled out of the country in 2011 after eight years at war Comes after Obama vowed to help Iraqi forces with airstrikes to prevent a potential act of genocide Hundreds of thousands of religious minorities have been driven from their homes as ISIS jihadists storm towns Some 50,000 Yazidis - half of them children - fled to hills after ISIS took Sinjar, the Yazidis heartland in Iraq ISIS calls Yazidis devil worshippers because of their beliefs that predate Islam, Christianity and Judaism Obama said U.S. warplanes had already carried out airdrops of humanitarian aid to Yazidis holed up in Sinjar hills David Cameron welcomes airstrikes to help Iraqis in their hour of desperate need but rules out British military action Foreign Office urges British nationals to stay away from Kurdistan as America pounded Islamic State positions FAA prohibits U.S. airlines from flying over Iraq, British Airways also announces it is suspending flights over country America waded into the unfolding crisis in Iraq today as it dispatched two warplanes to bombard an ISIS artillery battery in a bid to halt the extremist horde that is sweeping the country and save hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. The F/A-18C Hornets took off from the USS George H. W. Bush in the Persian Gulf this morning before unleashing 500lb laser-guided bombs on a unit of Islamic State fighters marching on Kurdish capital Erbil, where U.S. troops are stationed as well as the American consulate. In an unusual move, news of Americas first military offensive in Iraq since it pulled out of the country in 2011 after eight years at war was announced by Rear Admiral John Kirby through his Twitter account. US military aircraft conduct strike on ISIL artillery. Artillery was used against Kurdish forces defending Erbil, near US personnel, he tweeted The assault follows Barack Obamas dramatic call to arms last night in which he authorised airstrikes to defend hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims being hunted down and slaughtered by Islamic State jihadists, declaring: America is coming to help. And as the crisis in Iraq entered a new phase of international involvement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned the U.S. has enough intelligence to clearly single out and hit Islamic militants if they threaten U.S. interests or the thousands of refugees who fled to a mountaintop. Asked if the Islamic State group could successfully hide among civilians to evade strikes, Hagel said: Its pretty clear who they are, and they would be pretty identifiable where our airstrikes could be effective. It is understood that ISIS was using stolen artillery, abandoned by retreating Iraqi soldiers, to shell Kurdish forces defending the regional capital of Kurdistan. Peshmerga Kurdistan forces are now waiting for more strikes by the US fighter jets before launching a full-scale counter attack against the ISIS assault. The chaos engulfing Iraq has escalated rapidly in the past 24 hours, 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 mountains. Already dozens of Yazidis - whom ISIS have denounced as devil-worshippers because of their ancient beliefs which predate both Christianity and Islam - have been murdered since the extremist fighters overran the town of Sinjar yesterday. Up to 50,000 terrified Yazidis - half of them children - have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the barren mountain range to the north of their hometown as their hunters close in. But there they face an impossible dilemma - try to get to the Turkish border and risk being captured and killed by insurgents, or remain on Mount Sinjar without food or water in the searing heat, hoping aid will somehow get through. 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 limp bodies of dozens of young children either too exhausted to continue or killed by ISIS militants, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidi men. The dead mens wives were reportedly kept as trophies to be gifted to unmarried jihadist fighters. Last night, 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. However, news of the strikes was not met with universal approval. Retired four-star General Barry McCaffrey hit out at Obama for not going far enough with the bombardment. We dropped three aircraft loads of water and food to 50,000 people in the mountains, he told MSNBC. Now were striking ISIS artillery units. It looks to me as if a lot of this is internal U.S. politics to show were doing something. He went on: I mean, if youre going to use military power, you have to write down your objective and then use decisive force to achieve your objective. So Im a little dismayed at what were up to here. His comments were later echoed by House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, who heaped scorn on the White House, railing: The president’s authorization of airstrikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat ISIS poses to the region. Vital national interests are at stake, yet the White House has remained disengaged despite warnings from Iraqi leaders, Congress, and even members of its own administration. Such parochial thinking only emboldens the enemy and squanders the sacrifices Americans have made. ISIS fighters have beaten back the Kurdish peshmerga fighters - Iraqs 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 also seized the Mosul Dam - Iraqs largest - which places them in control of enormous power and water resources and access to the river that runs through the heart of Baghdad. Panic even began to tear through the Kurdish capital of Erbil, long considered a safe haven, where civilians today flooded the airport in a futile attempt to buy tickets to the Iraqi capital. And as shockwaves from the crisis reverberated around the world, oil companies began closing fields and evacuating staff from Kurdistan in a move that has caused shares to plummet. WHO ARE THE YAZIDIS? 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 Peacock Angel. But unlike Satans fall from grace, Melek Tawwus was readmitted into Heaven by God and represents humanitys 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 worlds spotlight. Meanwhile, Pope Francis begged world leaders to help end the crisis, after Iraqs largest Christian town was sacked sending tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing for their lives. Yesterday ISIS captured Qaraqush and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters. 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. While Iraqs 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 - living there. The rush of people expelled from their homes or fleeing violence has exacerbated Iraqs already-dire humanitarian crisis, with some 200,000 Iraqis joining the 1.5 million people already displaced from violence this year. Yesterday, the al-Qaida breakaway Islamic State posted a statement online confirming it had captured the Mosul Dam and vowed to continue the march in all directions, as it expands its self-styled caliphate. The group said it has seized a total of 17 Iraqi cities, towns and targets - including Qaraqush and Sinjar. Their statement could not be independently verified, but it was posted on a website frequently used by militants. Todays attack reflects the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war. Mr Obama, who made last nights 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. We thank Barack Obama, said Khalid Jamal Alber, from the religious affairs ministry in the semi-autonomous Kurdish government in northern Iraq. In Baghdad, the Ministry of the Displaced also welcomed the aid drops. The ministrys spokesman, Satar Nawrouz, said the drops came just in time. Mindful of the publics 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 Erbil 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 groups 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. Thats 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. With the spectre of further U.S. airstrikes on ISIS positions looming over the coming days, The Federal Aviation Administration became the first aviation body to prohibit airlines and other commercial carriers from flying over Iraq. Other airlines quickly followed suit, including British Airways (BA), Virgin Atlantic, Air France and Dubai-based Emirates. A spokesman for BA said it was: temporarily suspending our flights over Iraq. In London, the Foreign Office urged British nationals to stay away from Kurdistan as American bombers pounded Islamic State positions. Earlier today, David Cameron welcomed US President Obamas 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. Instead, 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 am extremely concerned by the appalling situation in Iraq and the desperate situation facing hundreds of thousands of Iraqis. And I utterly condemn the barbaric attacks being waged by Isil terrorists across the region. I am especially concerned for the minority Yazidi community now trapped on Mount Sinjar, where they have fled for their lives. They fear slaughter if they descend back down the slopes but face starvation and dehydration if they remain on the mountain. The world must help them in their hour of desperate need. I welcome president Obamas decision to accept the Iraqi governments request for help and to conduct targeted US airstrikes, if necessary, to help Iraqi forces as they fight back against ISIS 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. A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK was not planning a military intervention. But Mr Cameron added: 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. 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
Posted on: Fri, 08 Aug 2014 19:30:29 +0000
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