Although White House officials have seemingly declared “Mission Accomplished” in the effort to rescue the Yazidis on Mt. Sinjar, the ethno-religious tribe remains completely defenseless and continually under siege by the Islamic State terror group, The Guardian reports.
Satellite imagery, combined with first-hand accounts, have compiled to display that, indeed, there is still a humanitarian crisis on Mt. Sinjar. Additionally, thousands have, in desperation, made the dangerous journey down the mountain’s north into Iraq’s Kurdistan region. One evacuee described her 30-hour trip down the mountain, through Syria, and into Iraqi Kurdistan. “Not all members of the family can stand such a strenuous trip,” she said, describing how they had to leave the older family members behind to safely reach Kurdistan.
The United States’ last airdrop onto Mt. Sinjar came on August 13, when U.S. special ops forces that were sent to the site determined that the situation on the mountain was not as treacherous as once believed.
Obama said in a brief talk to reporters on August 14th, “It’s unlikely that we are going to need to continue humanitarian airdrops on the mountain. … Because of the skill and professionalism of our military, and the generosity of our efforts, we broke the [Islamic State] siege of Mount Sinjar, we helped vulnerable people reach safety and we helped save many innocent lives.”
Survivors talked about their struggle on the mountain, describing the continually worsening conditions.
A Yazidi militiaman said, “We need weapons now more than food or water.”
“My pillow is a small rock, and my bed is crumpling ground where there is no water, no food, no single cigarette to smoke. Sometimes, my brother would get me a piece of bread, but I’m too ill and have no appetite to eat. I just want to be lifted out of here,” a Yazidi man told The Guardian.
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