Iraq: Yazidi Rescue Mission 'Far Less Likely'

A US and UK humanitarian mission to rescue thousands of Yazidis trapped in Iraq is "far less likely" to take place after it has been revealed fewer are stranded than previously feared.

US Army Special Forces soldiers and a US Agency for International Development (USAID) team spent several hours on the mountain speaking to refugees on Wednesday.

They have since returned to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region, and reported fewer Yazidis remain trapped on the mountain than previously thought.

Some 5,000 refugees remain stranded on Sinjar Mountain, according to Sky sources. Some live there, while around 1,000 are being rescued every night by Iraqi forces.

A map detailing the Sinjar mountains

It had previously been thought there were between 20,000 and 30,000 still there after fleeing Sunni militants of the Islamic State (IS), formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

IS fighters have threatened the ancient religious group with death if they failed to convert to Islam.

A statement released by the Pentagon said humanitarian aid drops, airstrikes on IS fighters and the efforts of Peshmerga fighters had allowed many Yazidis to escape.

It added the US would continue to provide humanitarian assistance as needed and protect US personnel and facilities.

It comes after Sky sources revealed SAS soldiers have also been involved in gathering intelligence and preparing the ground for any possible mass air lift.

Members of the Yazidi sect hold a banner asking for international help

British Prime Minister David Cameron had said "detailed plans" were being made for an international mission to rescue the stranded Yazidis.

Sky's Political Correspondent Sophy Ridge said: "Today, I am told that just like the Americans, it is now unlikely that the UK government is going to carry out a rescue mission, and that's simply because the information has changed."

Mr Cameron is visiting an aid distribution centre in Wiltshire later to see some of the UK supplies before they are transported to Iraq.

The UK has successfully completed seven air drops of clean water, shelter and solar lanterns, and is sending a "small number" of RAF Chinook helicopters to the region.

It has already sent RAF Tornado jets equipped with sophisticated surveillance equipment to gather intelligence.

Areas the Islamic State has launched offensives and wants to make one state

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the Kurdish government's high representative to the UK, told Sky News while the new refugee figures spelled "good news", up to two million displaced civilians remained "in a dire situation" in the Kurdistan region.

Her comments came as the United Nations ramped up its assessment of the crisis to level 3 - its highest level of emergency - and condemned the "barbaric acts" of sexual violence IS fighters have reportedly inflicted on minority groups.

Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, said the Iraqi government had "received atrocious accounts on the abduction and detention of Yazidi, Christian, Turkomen and Shabak women and girls and boys, and reports of savage rapes".

"Some 1,500 Yazidis and Christians may have been forced into sexual slavery," he added.

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