Iraq: Yazidi Rescue Mission 'Far Less Likely'

'Parents Giving Thirsty Children Blood To Drink'

Updated: 8:31pm UK, Wednesday 13 August 2014

Parents cutting themselves so that thirsty children can drink their blood. Others dying from dehydration and being buried under rocks. These are some of the horrifying stories emerging from those who were trapped on a mountain by Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq.

Some 6,000 to 8,000 refugees have managed to escape to a makeshift camp in Dohuk province - but up to 30,000 still remain on Mount Sinjar in what a British aid worker has told Sky news is a "heartbreaking humanitarian crisis".

Sky's Sherine Tadros is at the Dohuk camp, which has no electricity and just three or four toilets.

"They've told us harrowing stories," she said. "One man has just told us how he saw four children die of thirst. There was nowhere to bury them on the mountain so they just put rocks on their bodies.

"Another man was saying the children were so thirsty, their parents started cutting their own hands and giving them blood to drink.

"And then they make the perilous journey to these areas - sometimes 12 hours. And when they get here the conditions are pretty dire. There is no electricity, no aid agencies - this is just a makeshift camp."

Refugees in the camp - some of whom have gunshot wounds - are surviving on food and water being brought to them by locals.

The international community is starting to take action - but the situation is now unprecedented, according to an aid worker on the ground.

"There is still a big humanitarian crisis going on - what I saw was heartbreaking," British Kurd Taban Shoresh told Sky News.

"We need to do something to rescue those people - 30,000 people trapped on a mountain by IS in fear of extermination. There is no way out - the only way to get to them is by helicopter.

"They've got absolutely nothing, and I can't stress this enough. No food, no water. They're dehydrated. They've got no clothes, their shoes have been worn off. It is extremely hot and exposed to the sun.

"This is the first time in history where 30,000 people have been trapped on a mountain in fear of being killed - all the leaders need to come together and figure out the best way to rescue these people. We can't watch 30,000 people die."

Each helicopter sent with aid or to lift the most vulnerable prompts a "scramble".

"They are fighting to get on the helicopters and survive - it's their only way out," added Ms Shoresh.

The local mayor has donated 230 tents, Tadros said - but it is sparse shelter for the thousands lucky enough to escape Sinjar.

UNICEF is delivering water, protein biscuits and hygiene kits to refugees but, with one million people now displaced in Iraq, the organisation is struggling to cope.

Colin MacInnes, in Iraq, told Sky News: "We are doing all we can but it is not enough at this time."

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Gaza Conflict: Truce 'Extended By Five Days'

Israel has launched airstrikes over Gaza despite reports the 72-hour ceasefire has been extended for another five days.

Hamas confirmed it would continue to hold fire after a day of intense talks mediated by Egyptian intelligence.

Israel said earlier it was prepared to extend the ceasefire, which began on Sunday night.

However, within an hour of the extension being reported, Israel's military said it had struck "terror targets".

They claimed it was in response to five rockets being fired from Gaza - something Hamas denied.

Israel and the Palestinian territories

It is unclear where this leaves the ceasefire.

A potential extension would allow peace talks to continue in Egypt in search of a long-term solution to the conflict - though the Palestinian delegation has now left Cairo to consult with leader Mahmoud Abbas.

The delegation head, Azzam al Ahmad, said he hoped a final deal would be reached in the coming weeks, with Arab and international backing.

He said the ceasefire was meant to ensure a "positive atmosphere", while noting there had been "lots of progress" in the talks.

Mr al Ahmad added that Israel had conceded some ground - but not on the crucial point of ending the blockade of Gaza.

More than 10,000 homes have been destroyed in Gaza since July 8

Israeli demands for disarmament in Gaza were not discussed, he said.

Israel has yet to comment on the truce.

Despite the break in fire over recent days, an Italian journalist has been killed along with four others when an unexploded missile detonated in northern Gaza.

More than 1,950 Palestinians have been killed in five weeks of fighting in Gaza, with 67 dead on the Israeli side.

Meanwhile, an Israeli cabinet minister has accused the UK government of "encouraging" Hamas to re-start rocket fire from Gaza, following a decision to suspend some arms exports to Israel if fighting resumes.

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Video: Reporter Confronts Iraq ISIS Militants

UK Carries Out Second Aid Drop In North Iraq

Updated: 3:53pm UK, Tuesday 12 August 2014

The RAF has completed its second aid drop over Northern Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

More than 3,000 reusable water containers holding 3,500 gallons of water and other "essential supplies" were dropped on Mount Sinjar.

Up to 40,000 Yazidis remain in the sweltering mountains after fleeing militants from the Islamic State (IS).

A previous attempt to drop supplies had to be abandoned for fear it could hurt those on the ground.

A "small number" of Tornado jets are also being sent to the region so they can be used, if required, to help ensure humanitarian supplies are delivered.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iraq's new Prime Minister Haidar al Abadi to form a new government quickly, following his appointment on Monday.

It had looked like his appointment could result in increased instability after the incumbent prime minister Nuri al Maliki refused to step down from the role he has had for eight years.

But reports from Iraq said many of Mr Maliki's previous supporters backed Mr Abadi's appointment and on Tuesday a senior Iranian official, the Arab League and Saudi Arabia also welcomed the move.

Meanwhile, Mr Maliki ordered Iraq's security forces to stay out of what he called a "political crisis", damping fears they may intervene.

The US has been calling on Baghdad to form an "inclusive" government for many weeks in order to counter the threat from IS, formerly known as ISIS.

Mr Kerry said of Mr Abadi, a former exile in the UK: "We are urging him to form a new cabinet as swiftly as possible and the US stands ready to support a new and inclusive Iraqi government and particularly its fight against (the Islamic State)."

Mr Kerry had been meeting with senior figures in the Australian government and said afterwards that the allies would take the threat posed by jihadist foreign fighters to the United Nations.

The UN move came after Australia's prime minister slammed a "barbaric" photo which apparently showed the seven-year-old son of a militant holding the severed head of a Syrian soldier.

The European Union said it was increasing its aid to Iraq by 5m euros, bringing its total to 17m euros, in addition to the £13m in total provided by the UK.

The US's Centcom military information centre said it had carried out five aid drops on Mount Sinjar and a number of airstrikes on IS targets near the mountains.

France is planning a second aid drop into the mountains of Sinjar in the next two days.

The US has admitted that airstrikes against militants will not be enough to halt the advance of IS.

Joint staff operations director Lieutenant General William Mayville said: "We assess that US airstrikes in northern Iraq have slowed Islamic State (IS) … however, these strikes are unlikely to affect IS's overall capabilities or its operations in other areas."

But Mr Kerry also tried to allay US fears of being drawn back into another ground conflict in the area - 11 years after it launched a war in the country.

"There will be no reintroduction of American combat forces into Iraq. This is a fight that Iraqis need to join on behalf of Iraq," Mr Kerry added.

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Iraq Crisis: US Sends 130 More Military Advisers

The US has sent 130 more military advisers to northern Iraq to assess the scope of the humanitarian mission.

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said: "I recommended to the President and the President has authorised me to go ahead and send about 130 new assessment team members up to northern Iraq in the Irbil area to take a closer look and give more in-depth assessment of where we can continue to help."

The soldiers have been sent to northern Iraq to "develop additional humanitarian assistance options beyond the current airdrop effort in support of displaced Iraqi civilians trapped on Sinjar Mountain by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant".

Since June the US has sent about 700 military personnel to Iraq to protect diplomats there and take stock of the country's military capacity.

Western powers and international aid agencies are considering further help for the thousands of refugees driven from their homes by the Sunni militants of the Islamic State near the Syrian border.

Secretary of State John Kerry said the US would consider requests for military and other assistance once Iraq's new prime minister-designate forms a government to unite the country.

Haider al Abadi has received support from the US and Iran as well as Sunni neighbours Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

However his Shi'ite party colleague Nuri al-Maliki has refused to step aside after eight years as premier.

Meanwhile, a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near Mr al Abadi's Baghdad home on Tuesday. There have been no reports of casualties.

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Death Toll From Ebola Outbreak Tops 1,000

The death toll from the ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The health agency said some 1,013 people have died from the disease which has struck in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Residents in countries ravaged by the disease have been gripped by panic, with radical containment measures causing transport problems, price rises and shortages of food.

The rising death toll came as Liberia's presidency said the US has approved a request for sample doses of an experimental drug to be sent to Liberia.

Liberian soldiers check people travelling in Bomi County

The presidency announced that the ZMapp drug would be delivered to Liberia by a US government representative this week to treat doctors infected with the disease.

However, a spokesperson for the US Health and Human Services (HHS) Department said US authorities had simply helped connect the Liberian government with the drug's manufacturer.

Doctors in Spain have already imported ZMapp to treat a priest evacuated from Liberia after he tested positive for ebola.

ZMapp has been successfully tested on monkeys, but only recently used on humans. The drug is also being tested on two Americans infected with the disease.

A man washes his hands as a preventative measure in Abidjan, in Ivory Coast

The latest outbreak of ebola has killed around 55-60% of those infected with the disease.

But a British hygiene expert working with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has told Sky News the statistics do not reveal the true picture of how serious the situation is.

Cokie van der Velde, who has worked with MSF for 12 years, said: "What we need is more agencies to come forward working in these countries to reverse this epidemic.

"The numbers of dead and infected don't show the real situation. There are deaths in villages and all over [Liberia] which are not being recorded."

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US Military: Airstrikes 'Won't Stop ISIS'

Clear Imperative For Iraq Humanitarian Mission

Updated: 6:01pm UK, Monday 11 August 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Mission creep. Boots-on-the-ground. Targeted airstrikes. Strictly humanitarian mission.

We've heard it all before and it's mostly bunkum.

But, this time, the baloney may have a half decent flavour because lurking in the background may, one might hope, be the flavour of a hard-headed strategic mission.

The latest use of airpower and some special forces troops on the ground is as legitimate as the 2003 invasion of Iraq was unjustified.

Then the allies were duped into attacking a country on a false premise - to rid Saddam Hussein's regime of weapons of mass destruction.

This time there is a clear moral imperative behind those "targeted airstrikes" and the "humanitarian mission".

Not least because the Islamic State, as it now calls itself, poses a clear and present danger to the region and the West.

The rapidity of the response from the US and Europe has been striking.

Within a week or less of the attacks on the Yazidi, Christians and other religious minorities Barak Obama ordered both a humanitarian air drop and his air force into action against IS.

Now the European Union is being pressed by France and Italy to urgently consider what support it can send to the Peshmerga forces of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq's north.

Part of the drive for this has been the galvanising effect of the IS's own propaganda.

Its grand guignol of blood-curdling real-life horror - the beheading of children, the alleged burying of Yazidis alive, the endless mobile phone footage of grinning fanatics slicing into the throats of young men held by their hair - has provoked cries of "enough!".

There have been demands that the British parliament be recalled to discuss the UK's role in the operations in Iraq.

Officially entirely "humanitarian" they now include Tornado jets and spy planes to provide intelligence to US special forces and the pershmerga on the ground.

Britain won't be putting troops in, there is no need and the needs, for now, are catered for by the US.

But this does not mean that "mission creep" can be avoided. Indeed some may argue that it is even desirable.

The Islamic State is a self-financing entity. It stole an estimated $400m from Mosul's central bank when it captured the city in June.

It has been selling oil from the fields it controls in Syria - much of it to the regime of Bashar al Assad that it largely avoided fighting as it has focussed on consolidating territory liberated in Syria by other groups.

It has a global Islamist agenda, much like al Qaeda. But its methods have been ruled too extreme by the al Qaeda leadership, notably Ayman al Zawahiri.

It now has many thousands of troops, plenty of captured weaponry, and money to enlist more support.

It is the dangerous new Islamist franchise, eclipsing al Qaeda with its media campaigns and its staggering land grab of a third of Syria and a third of Iraq.

More airstrikes and many more troops will be needed to rescue the Yazidis. Still more will be needed to contain the IS.

If the Yazidis and Christians are ever to return to their homes, then the IS will need to be removed.

That would require a broadened and deepened "humanitarian mission". One that many now believe would be desperately necessary.

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Medics Desperate To Help Paralysed Gaza Girl

By Katie Stallard, Sky Correspondent, in Gaza

Maha is seven years old and paralysed from the neck down.

Her mother and sister were killed in the airstrike on their house. She remembers everything about it.

She told Sky News: "We were sitting at home when we heard the noise. So we went down under the stairs.

"This is where we were injured. Some of us stayed alive, some of us died.

"Those who stayed alive were injured, all the family was injured.

"Me and my mother were injured, and we knew if we stayed like this we would die. But my mother stayed at home and she died."

Maha watches everything around her, she understands what is being said, but she doesn't understand why she can't move her arms and legs.

She said: "I feel like I can't do anything with my body. And when I move like this I can't feel my body moving."

She has been like this for 22 days now.

Her family tells her that she will get better, but any real hope of that depends on urgent treatment abroad.

Mahasen Sheikh Khalil, her aunt, explained: "She doesn't know that she could stay paralysed like this.

"She's waiting to go for treatment abroad so she might get well.

"She says to me, 'Aunt, if I can move my hand then I can eat by myself. I just want to stand up, move and play.'"

The family has been told there are three hospitals willing to treat Maha - in Germany, Turkey, and the US - and a sponsor has agreed to cover the cost.

But they need to get her our of Gaza first, and they are still waiting for permission from Israel.

Palestinian aid workers are trying to help, but the sad truth is there are other children like Maha here, all of whom need equally immediate care.

Her doctor, neurosurgeon Basil Baker at al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, told us that with every day that goes by, her chances of nerve recovery fade.

He explained: "Her lower limbs are lost. The recovery for the upper limbs is the aim.

"If she remains here and gets an infection, it will be difficult to treat.

"This means that she will be worse, we will not have any chance for any nerve recovery."

He hopes that she might be eligible for stem cell therapy in the future.

At the very least, he said, she deserves to be registered as a possible candidate.

Maha has already lived through three wars - she has learned how to be brave.

She has also learned how to hate.

"I would love the Israelis to die so I can stay alive," she said.

"So nobody else from our side would be killed. Because they killed and injured a lot of us."

Maha used to want to be a doctor when she grew up, now she wants to be in the resistance.

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Israel Agrees Three-Day Ceasefire Plan In Gaza

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have agreed an Egyptian proposal for a new three-day ceasefire in Gaza.

The truce, which began at 10pm BST on Sunday, was agreed during negotiations between both sides in Cairo aimed at ending a month of violence.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire would allow the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israel also said it would return to Cairo for more talks on Sunday if the truce holds.

A similar 72-hour truce collapsed into violence on Friday and Israel initially said it would not take part in talks while Hamas rocket attacks continued.

Smoke rises from the coastal side of the Gaza Strip after an Israeli strike

It comes after an 11-year-old Palestinian boy was apparently shot dead by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank.

Mohammed Khalil al Anati was killed in Al Fawwar refugee camp, southwest of the city of Hebron, a medical official told AFP news service.

The Israeli military said it was investigating reports the youngster was shot by one of its soldiers.

A man sits amid the ruins of his home in Gaza

Earlier, it looked like peace talks in Cairo would collapse after a Palestinian delegation threatened to walk out of discussions unless the Israelis returned to the table without conditions.

However, both Hamas and Israeli officials later said they had agreed the plan, paving the way for new talks.

"Israel will not negotiate under fire," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after his weekly cabinet meeting.

"At no stage did we declare (Israel's military offensive) was over. The operation will continue until its objective - the restoration of quiet over a protracted period - is achieved."

A boy surrounded by rumble in a bombed out Gaza street

The Palestinians blamed their decision to resume fire on Israel's refusal to end the blockade of Gaza and open a seaport.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and US President Barack Obama expressed "serious concern" about renewed hostilities in Gaza during a phone call on Saturday.

The leaders called on Israel to exercise "restraint".

The Israelis launched more than 30 air attacks in Gaza on Saturday, killing nine Palestinians, while militants continued to fire rockets into Israel.

A month after Israel launched its military campaign, nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed - mostly civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers in combat, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

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US Jets In Four More Iraq Strikes On Militants

American jet fighters and drones have conducted four more airstrikes on Islamic militants in Iraq.

The US military said the strikes took out armoured carriers and a truck that were firing on civilians.

The strikes were spread out, with three before noon on Saturday and one about 3pm, the military said.

Thousands of Yazidis have fled their homes

Indications suggested that the operation was successful in destroying the armoured vehicles.

This is the third round of airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) forces by the US military since they were authorised by President Barack Obama.

On Friday, two waves of airstrikes hit an IS artillery position, destroyed a militant convoy and killed a mortar team.

US and Iraqi aircraft have also air dropped food and water to the thousands of mainly Yazidis stranded on Mount Sinjar since fleeing IS attacks on their homes a week ago.

The boundary shows the rough area IS wants to create as a caliphate

Mr Obama said he viewed the US offensive in Iraq as a "long-term project" to rout out militants and deliver aid to beleaguered civilians.

It is the first American offensive in Iraq since Washington pulled out its forces in 2011 after nearly a decade of brutal war.

He has also said US air strikes aim to prevent IS fighters from attacking Irbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdish region.

The US has a diplomatic mission and military advisors in Irbil.

"I'm not going to give a particular timetable, because as I've said from the start, wherever and whenever US personnel and facilities are threatened, it's my obligation, my responsibility as commander in chief, to make sure they are protected," Mr Obama told reporters.

President Obama says the US offensive is a "long-term" project

Mr Obama, who has ruled out ground troops, and David Cameron have pledged to work together to avoid "genocide" in Iraq.

Two Royal Air Force (RAF) C-130 transport planes took off from Britain on Saturday carrying equipment.

The equipment included clean water, tents, tarpaulins and solar lights that can also recharge mobile phones.

In a telephone call on Saturday, the leaders admitted that a "long term solution" would be needed to quell the IS advance.

A Downing Street spokesman said: "The Prime Minister welcomed the US efforts and made clear that we are keen to work with the Americans on the humanitarian effort.

British aid is loaded onto a plane destined for Iraq

"They agreed that the immediate priority is to get vital supplies to those trapped on Mt Sinjar and the UK will join the US in delivering aid drops.

"Both leaders also agreed that aid drops are not a long term solution, and that a way must be found to get these people to safety and to avert a genocide."

Up to 150,000 Yazidi refugees are still isolated on a stretch of mountain in Iraq surrounded by Islamic extremists.

Reports suggested that thousands of Yazidis, including children, may have already lost their lives after being trapped in the mountains without food and water for days. 

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Gaza Ceasefire Talks On Brink Of Collapse

Peace talks aimed at ending the violence in Gaza are on the verge of collapsing.

A Palestinian delegation has threatened to walk out of the discussions in Cairo unless the Israelis return to the negotiating table without conditions today.             

"Within the next 24 hours, the delegation's presence in Egypt will be determined," said Abu Marzouk, the deputy chairman of Hamas' political bureau.

Israel - whose delegation left Cairo after a 72-hour truce expired on Friday - has said it will not take part in talks while violence is ongoing.

Abu Marzouk says the Palestinian delegation is ready to walk away

The Palestinians blamed their decision to resume fire on Israel's refusal to end the blockade of Gaza and open a seaport.

Egyptian mediators have met separately with both sides at least three times this week.

Meanwhile, David Cameron and Barack Obama expressed "serious concern" about renewed hostilities in Gaza during a phone call on Saturday.

The leaders called on Israel to exercise "restraint".

A Downing Street spokesman said: "They agreed that Israel has a right to defend itself but it should do so in a way that exercises restraint and Israeli forces must take utmost care to avoid civilian casualties.

"Both agreed that the priority must be to re-establish a ceasefire that paves the way for negotiations on a more lasting peace that allows both Israelis and Palestinians to live in safety alongside one another."

A boy surrounded by rumble in a bombed out Gaza street

Israel launched more than 30 air attacks in Gaza on Saturday, killing nine Palestinians.

Meanwhile, militants continued to fire rockets into Israel.

A month after Israel launched its military campaign, nearly 1,900 Palestinians have been killed - mostly civilians.

Israel has lost 64 soldiers in combat, while three civilians have died from rocket fire into the country.

The UK, France and Germany issued a joint declaration on Saturday urging Hamas and Israel to agree an immediate ceasefire.

In London protesters called for an end to the Gazan "massacre" as they marched in Hyde Park.

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