to help a religious group stranded on a mountain in northern iraq. 15,000 have taken refuge, and the u.n. said that islamic state have executed hundreds of people. and they are threatening to kill all of the rest of them if they don't convert to islam. tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes when kurdish defenses fell this week. they are still going into the territory held by the kurds. a white house briefing is happening within the hour, and we're tug to the kurds when the u.s. military involvement and the policy, and when this brogue starts, we'll of course bring it to you live. >>> in the meantime, in northern iraq, the u.s. military airstrike does not appear to have lessened the anxiety and the fears in the kurdish capital of erbil. >> reporter: we are told that the airstrikes, confirmed by the u.s. on islamic state artillery