sinjar. >> we were hearing that there were aid drops taking place. >> we had to get on that helicopter. our crew had to get on that helicopter. ♪ ♪ ♪ ben! well, that was close! you ain't lying! let quicken loans help you save your money. with a mortgage that's engineered to amaze! tlet's get out of here. road-trip!guys. so esurance is using technology to help them see new york. should of brought a camera. you are a camera. bring cash? kind of like how they use technology to help you make smart choices about your insurance. nice shot, vika! us open, please. it's just how they roll. that was fun man, i'm exhausted. esurance. proud sponsor of the us open. >>> for days cnn correspondent ivan watson and his team had been hearing about a humanitarian crisis unfolding on a mountaintop in northern iraq near the city of sinjar. when isis moved in, the civilians moved out and up to sinjar mountain. little water, even less food. it was a crisis the team needed to see for themselves. >> i'd been offered

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sinjar.> we were hearing that there were aid drops taking place. >> we had to get on that helicopter. our crew had to get on that helicopter. ♪ ♪ start a team. join a team. walk to end alzheimer's. visit alz.org/walk today. the cadillac summer collection is here. ♪ ♪ during the cadillac summer's best event, lease this all new 2014 cts for around $459 a month or purchase with 0% apr and make this the summer of style. woman: what do you mean, homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods? [ heart rate increases ] man: a few inches of water caused all this? [ heart rate increases ] woman #2: but i don't even live near the water. what you don't know about flood insurance may shock you -- including the fact that a preferred risk policy starts as low as $129 a year. for an agent, call the number that appears on your screen. >>> for days cnn correspondent ivan watson and his team had been hearing about a humanitarian crisis unfolding on a mountaintop in northern iraq near the city of sinjar. when isis m

sinjar area. stand by with us. we're going to get some u.s. reaction. acosta is going to be joining us. he's with the president at martha's vineyard. much more of our special coverage after this. [ man ] look how beautiful it is. ♪ honey, we need to talk. we do? i took the trash out. i know. and thank you so much for that. i think we should get a medicare supplement insurance plan. right now? [ male announcer ] whether you're new to medicare or not, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. it's up to you to pay the difference. so think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. i did a little research. with a medicare supplement plan, you'll be able to stay with your doctor. oh, you know, i love that guy. mm-hmm. [ male announcer ] these types of plans let you visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. and there are no networks. is this a one-si

sinjar. >> this is from one of the refugees. he says the situation there is not a crisis, but a catastrophe. he counted as many as 1,000 bodies as he left and went up into the sinjar mountains trying to escape isis. >> cnn's anna corin joins us live from erbil, iraq. what is the situation like right now for -- is it safe to call them refugees at this point? >> yeah, they absolutely are refugees. they are stranded on mt. sinjar. 40,000 of them. although we are getting word there are several thousand who have managed to get off the mountain and flee towards syria. that's thanks to the kurdish forces on the ground there that are helping these yazidis, as well as the u.s. air strikes that you mentioned targeting those isis mortar and artillery positions. taking them out, which means that those kurdish fighters can get in and help some of the yazidis. but that's only a handful of the tens of thousands that are trapped on mt. sinjar. as you mentioned, the situation, as that particular refugee menti

>>> refugees continue to hide in the sinjar mountains as the u.s. bombs more rebel targets. ♪ ♪ >>> i am jane cut and this is at&t u-verse live from doha. also on the program, more fighting in eastern ukraine, russia denies reports that part of a military convoy was destroyed after crossing the border. >>> hundreds of thousands of worshipers turn out in south korea as the roman catholic pope holds an open air mass in seoul. and using otters to catch fish, now this crucial fishing partner is facing a bleak future in bangladesh. >>> there seems to be no end to the fight ago cross parts of northern iraq. the u.s. is helping the iraqi government and kurdish fighters drive out islamic state group. it's taken over large areas in the north of the country. the group wants to establish an islamic state in the region and has driven more than a million civilians from their homes. refugees are still hiding in the sinjar mountains as the u.s. continues its bombing campaign in the area. the u.s. targeted four sites, controlled by rebel fighters. reports suggest i

most of these people are yazidis from sinjar. they have accused peshmerga of abandoning sinjar, leaving them to isis. >> after they took the women and the young girls, the men were killed with butcher knives. >> they cut off their arms and their legs and killed my family. i have no one now. they took the woman to mosul.\ >> we are on the border between syria and iraq. many thousands of people have used this bridge to flee to relative safety and -- under the protection of kurdish fighters. most of them were yazidis who endured a journey to get there. >> we found this woman and a child who were lost, we took them with us. >> 10 days we have been on the run. first we went to a village and we had to go back because jihadists were there. we tried another route and got blocked again. it has taken us 10 days to get here. all of them, they are my family. >> some will not cross this bridge alive. in this ambulance, the body of a young man who died of dehydration in the desert. perhaps an irony that so many people are fleeing for safety to

sinjar that it doesn't warrant an international effort. but along with other countries they are trying to address this humanitarian crisis now spreading across northern iraq but the much bigger problem is how to fight the islamic state fighters and make sure the rest of this country remains stable. >> the crisis on sinjar mountain has attracted western governments in the way the rest of the region hasn't. within the past week the united states has launched emotional a dozen air strikes against the islamic state group. while u.k. has been planning a rescue operation on the ground. both countries have been dropping aid onto the mountain and air rescue some of the yazidis on the mountain. u.k. pledged millions of extra support in the last few days. bleak and disprip situation, millions have been -- desperate situation, millions have been displaced now while tens of thousands are homeless in gaza. oxfam says across the middle east, 28 million people are in need of humanitarian aid because of fighting and instability. brigadier general mark kim

sinjar. and to target those isil positions that are lay in siege to mt. sinjar.re no plans to expand the current air campaign beyond the current self defense activities. >> arming the kurds. it's been reported the u.s. government is directly arming the kurds. is the dod playing in a role in that operation or will it at some point? >> yeah, i saw that report in the media and open source, as well. over the weekend, it was the government of iraq and iraqi security forces that actually provided immediate resupplies to kurdish forces. we are looking at how we can help them. and studying the challenges they have, and with the team that we have in baghdad, providing some assistance. we are looking at plans at how we can expand that support. >> over the weekend, president obama said that he was considering creating some kind of safe corridor to assist those, some 15,000, i guess, yazidi refugees on top of the mountains there adson adson jar. and he said he talked to the british and french about that possibility. he also called it complicated. just how complicated would i

on the top of mount sinjar with the kurdish commander.e was saying the towns below, especially sinjar are almost completely empty except for those deliberately left behind by the islamic state. family members say they have been arrest add -- arrested and taken to a prison. we heard stories from men who had been detained by islamic state fighters. a gun was put to their head, and they were told convert and die. they think if people are kept back, it's part of the effort to force people to convert to islam under pain of death. >> you say people are crying out for help. what kind of international aid is there on the ground where you are? >> we were on mount sinjar yesterday in terrible conditions. people had come down this one road which kurdish fors were able to open pushing back fighters. a woman told me it was her job to look at people dying, people that collapsed from exhaustion, lack of water and from heat. we found a small camp made from tents dropped by the british royal air force. it said from the people of britain stamped on it. the

sinjar. sunni militants helped open that route and the u.s. has announced it has sent more military advisers to kurdistan in northern iraq. >> british planes are joining the effort, dropping food and water. they have more missions planned as well. the u.s. says tens and thousands of people are still stranded in the region, all of them facing possible starvation. we saw that really compelling report from our ivan watson as he was with the iraqi military as they dropped aid and ended up rescuing people and another iraqi helicopter bringing food to mt. sinjar crashed yesterday after picking up about two dozens people. >> the iraqi pilot was killed and a number of passengers injured. they were taken to hospitals in the kurdistan region. >> u.n. officials are warning that thousands of iraqis could face mass slaughter within days, even hours if the help -- if the international bodies don't do more to help right now. our senior international correspondent ivan watson has more for you. >> reporter: the scene is almost biblical, a modern day exodus. th

he's returned from mount sinjar and told me what he saw. >> reporter: i stood on the top of mount sinjarith the kurdish commander. he was pointing out the islamic state positions. he said the towns below, 85% yazidis are almost completely empty except for those deliberately kept behind for the islamic state. many said people are arrest add, taken to a prison there. money wasn't asked. it wasn't clear the motivation. what was the motivation be by fighters for keeping people back. again and again we heard stories of men who had been detained by fighters. a gun was put to their head. they were told convert or die. they believe it's part of the effort of the islam state to force people to convert to islam or take death. >> what aid is there on the ground where you are? >> reporter: well, we were up on mount sinjar yesterday in absolutely terrible conditions. people come down this one road which the kurdish forces are able to open pushing back isis fighters. a woman fighter told me it was her job to look after the dead and dying, people that collapsed from exhaustion, heat and lack of water.

bombing has hit targets near mosul and areas in the sinjar mountains. reports suggest 15 islamic state fighters have been killed in the latest attacks, the heaviest airstrikes since the u.s. started thcampaign last week. refugees continues to shelter in the sinjar mountains to try to esc ate the islamic state fighters. many ethnic minorities have been targeted by the intolerant group. hundreds have cross into turkey. others are sheltering in in crowded camps near the border. is blamic state groups control large parts of syria. the area it holds stretches from the north of syria right across to fallujah and samarah in eastern iraq. the fighters have forced government troops out of many towns and villages. zeina hodr reports from erbil. >> reporter: u.s. air strikes targeting sinjar and in areas around the mosul dam are hoping to push at about back fighters. they have said time and time again the objective is to defend the kurdish regions in the north and to protect minorities. what we do understand from our sources in the peshmerga is that the kurdish fo

said it was considering military operations to get the refugees on mount sinjar rescued. it seems now they sent a small assessment team to the area with 20 special forces. they said the situation is not as dire as originally thought. it was going to be a risky operation. at the moment the u.s. is not moving on that situation. >> reporter: these pictures taken from an iraqi military helicopter her yesterday show there are clearly refugees still on mount sinjar. the question is how many? the american team numbering about 20 has flown to the area. they believe there are far fewer than previously thought. it's thought they number in the thousands not the tens of thousands. those that remain are getting aids and are in better condition than previously thought. some have been evacuated by held koptd continuer in scenes like this. hundreds more are in the mountain in the darkness. a rescue mission is far less likely. islamic militants remain around the mountain. the iraqi armed forces appear to be firing on them in these pictures to obvious delight of people on board. refugees c

we depend on the peshmerga and they said we're not going to leave sinjar, sinjar is a part of kurdistan but they left us. >> reporter: his immediate family is safe but his sister-in-law has lost 51 members of her family. they were all killed the first day the fighters entered their town. the yazidi are such a small community, almost all of them have lost family members in sinjar. they have also lost the hope they could ever feel safe in iraq again. jane arath, al jazeera, norch nn iraq. >>> with me, professor of political sciences at the london school of economics. thanks very much for speaking to us. so we're hearing u.s. president barack obama speak. he said the situation on mt. sinjar getting better, committing more humanitarian assistance to the north of iraq but still reluctance to commit any further military assistance to the kurds on the ground engaged pushing back i.s. fighters. >> i don't know how mr. obama explains the situation getting better when there are more than 3,000 people trapped in the mountains of sinjar, they saved them, the americans saved them, less than expected

isil positions that are laying siege to mount sinjar.here are no plans to expand the current air campaign beyond the current self-defense activities. >> it's been reported the u.s. government is directly arming the kurds. is the dod playing a role in that operation or will it at some point? >> yeah, i saw that report in the media and an open source as well. over the weekend it was the government of iraq and iraqi security forces that actually provided immediate resupplies to kurdish forces. we are looking at how we can help them and studying the challenges that they have. with the team that we have in baghdad providing some assistance, we are looking at plans at how we can expand that support. >> general, over the weekend president obama said that he was considering creating some kind of safe corridor to assist those, some 15,000, i guess, yazidi refugees on top of the mountains there at sinjar. he said he talked to the british and the french about that possibility. he also called it complicated. just how complicated would it be, would i

sinjar each of the past few nights and the u.s. says the number remaining is in the low thousands. >> we had been estimating it was tens of thousands there. you may remember earlier this week, we had a report from our correspondent ivan watson and it featured one family in particular as he was on board that iraqi helicopter and everyone was rushing on to get to safety. ivan watson managed to find that family again. here's his update. >> reporter: in the chaos of an evacuation from sinjar mountain, several faces stood out. a 16-month-old baby and two very frightened sisters. two days after their airborne escape, we found their older brother, who was also on the helicopter. he led us to the place where they found refuge. after fleeing isis, this is how thousands of iraqis are living. derelict building, we find our friends from the helicopter. hi, guys. look at you. i remember you. hi. it turns out 16-month-old helene is a cousin of the teenage sisters. hi. it's good to see you. she says she had mixed feelings when she escaped aboard

they were trapped on sinjar mountain. some jadzs have been rescued by represent, thousands more have been led into kurdish territory in iraq, along the way families have been separated. >> translator: i put two of my sons in the car that came to get us then i went to grab the one i'm holding and when i got back the car had already left. i haven't seen the other children or my husband since then. >> yazidis and christians say the group called islamic state ordered them to convert to islam or die. iraq says there could still be more than 100,000 yazidis and christians trapped on top of that mountain. omar is president of the u.s. institute for peace center for middle east and africa. it's good to have you on the program again. >> thank you. >> with the political situation in iraq, how is it, even possible, to stem the tide of the islamic state in iraq? >> i think that one of the crucial elements is to recognize that the military solution or military intervention be it u.s. intervention limited or full iraqi military reactio

sinjar. >>> robin williams dead at the age of 63. we look back at the life and career of a comedy legend. >>> a desperate humanitarian crisis is gripping northern iraq. >> and baghdad is bogged down in political uncertainty at the same time. here's the latest information we have for you. iraq's president has nominated a new prime minister. but the current prime minister's not interested in stepping down. our global affairs correspondent has more. >> reporter: iraq's political power struggle finally reached a breaking point. when the president named the deputy speaker of parliament to replace prime minister nuri al maliki. the u.s. welcomed the move as an important first step. >> earlier today, vice president biden and i called dr. abaddi to congratulate him and urge him to form a new cabet as quickly as possible. >> reporter: hider al abaddi is a shia from the same party as maliki, even serving as his aide. can he unite the country and fight off sweeping advances by isis militants? >> he's someone who's never been involved in persona

we can see the people below trapped on sinjar mountain.hey are clustered under all the trees right now, waving to us. they seem to have gathered in these shelters down here. a lot of women and children waving. >> reporter: the crew hurls packages out the door. people swarm the chopper. this has been one chaotic aid distribution. i really hope we didn't hurt anybody with the bottles of water we were throwing down from a high of 20, 30 feet. it's chaotic, with people were waving, they were giving thumbs up and there are a couple -- there are a couple of people very releafed to be off the mountain and clearly very frightened. >> then the helicopter lands one last time to pick up more passengers. here they come. more desperate people throw themselves at the aircraft. heaving their children on board. it's first come, first serve. there were some who couldn't make it. aboard the aircraft, shock, exhausti exhaustion, fear that eventually gives way to relief. >> reporter: i can't describe to you how relieved people are right now. they are just sho

mountains. >> we have gone through a lot at sinjar mountains. children -- women and are being killed. i have 4 children and i don't know there were about. 2 have disappeared and i don't know about the other 2. >> the president -- residents of the kurdish capital of erbil are fearing fighters from the islamic state may soon attack the city. this is resident mahmoud you see if -- yousif. >> we are afraid that something bad will happen and supplies will run out. we are afraid because the political and militant situation could as percussion, we bought , and uses, meat quantities of canned foods come out of fear something bad will happen, god for bid. towe go now to northern iraq speak with tracey shelton, freelance journalist covering iraq, syria, libya, and conflict zones throughout the middle east. her recent piece for "global post" is called "there are reports of the islamic state executing dozens of yazidis." can you tell us about the situation and who the yazidis are? in a density region -- yazidi region and -- [indiscernible] >> we are having

i'm walk, from sinjar mountain to syria p walking. just we have the bottle of water. >> over the weekend there were reports that some of the islamic state's victims were buried alive. until this crisis many people had not learned about the yazidis. our roxana saberi got to know some of them by reporting from northern iraq last year. >> many became trapped in the sinjar mountains with no food or water. many are heading 200 mild to the southeast to their holy city of lalish. all yazidis are expected to make the pilgrimage to this ain yent tomb once in their life. they believe the man who started their faith dated back to adam. babachbesh is the guardian of the temple. the holes in this rock represent the good and evil that exists in each one of us. i asked him if the yazidi faith has similarities with other faiths like islam. >> our religion is a very old religion and we believe that other religions have come from ours. we haven't taken anything from them. >> these kids who introduced themselves to me are some of the estimated 600,000 y

sinjar is the last city for the mountain region of sinjar mountains and then -- fled -- [ inaudible ] kurdish forces to reach sinjar eight times. out of which, i've been there for twice. opportunity to reach -- we brought food and drinking water. [ inaudible ] for child protection, in particularly to support the hospital over there. >> marzio. let me cut you off because i want to hear more from you if there's any way to get a more secure line. i'm having a tough time hearing you on skype. the world needs to hear about these men, women and children who are in the midst of this humanitarian catastrophe. guys, can we work on that? meantime, we'll stay on iraq, talk about this huge, hydroelectric dam. he just mentioned mosul a moment ago. this is the dam right there on the river. the latest at cnn, under the control of isis. what that means for the fight, especially now that the u.s. has begun air strikes. that's ahead. also, the gaza blockade, a key sticking point in these peace negotiations in egypt. we'll explain the significance for both sides. you're watching cnn. hey pal? you ready?

i want to ask you about that, sinjar mountain. but first, you know, as far as these potential air strikes go, to elise's point, how effective would air strikes be against isis? >> well, what i would say, brooke, first you've got to consider the geography of this area. if you consider anyone ninewah province, sinjar is a rocky hill, in the middle of a desert and the central point of where isis controls. the state of ninewah, they have control over so to reach a point with any kind of relief efforts is going to be very challenging. it is not going to be very easy to bomb here. it is going to be very difficult to drop humanitarian supplies there, because this hill is -- you can walk on it. so any time you might drop something there, isis forces could go up and get it, unless you pinpoint it right at the very top of the mountain. i've been on sinjar mountain several times. >> what's that like? >> we used to have a communication site there. it's challenging. and as we talk about what the various options are for the president, i'm sure

sinjar. they control all that, all the routes to the sinjar band and extended all the way to kurdistan, and erbil is in question where the air strikes are supporting. >> so where are the u.s. air strikes so far and what have they been able to accomplish? >> sure, friday night, the air strikes went in here in the vicinity of erbil to stop any potential assault on erbil. they were targeting mortars, artillery, et cetera, and the last two and today are in the vicinity of sinjar. they're targeting isis on the ground, maneuverability, truck convoys, et cetera. >> at this point, we're taking out individual artillery pieces or convoys or martyrs. this is not a concerted air campaign. >> that's a critical point. this is an air strike campaign largely designed to protect erbil and refugees of sinjar. it is not taking away isis' freedom or movement. there are five attacks taking place at right by isis. they have total initiative and freedom of movement. in kirkuk, they're conducting two movements north

the yazidis are such a small community, almost all have lost family members in sinjar. they don't feel safe in iraq. >> syria, now 20 people have been killed in the suburbs of damascus. according to local media, they died in government airstrikes. activists say the army help by the national defense force and hezbollah has almost entirely taken a city in eastern damascus. syrian jets launched four strikes on the city. they've been fighting since april. syrian media are saying the army has taken full control. >> five people have been killed during heavy shelling in the city of holmes. activists say it was carried out by militia from the national defense force. >> still to come on aljazeera: >> we look at how journalists as well as protestors were targeted by egypt security forces if the crackdown a year ago. >> plus hopes are returned to peace in the capitol of the central african republic. >> in sport, find out if suarez will be back playing sooner than expected. >> pope francis began five day visit to south korea with a message of peace. seoul's rival, the north fired f

sinjar. what they found on the mountaintop during their secret 24-hour mission. is the u.s. getting in deeper? and it is enough to stop isis? >>> plus, if you knew that something was killing over 38,000 americans a year, more than the number of people who are killed in car crashes, you'd expect somebody to do something about it. marches, ribbons,

their survivors of mount sinjar. this is the next step on their long journey. the youngest refugee was 10 days old when his mother carried him in her arms to safety on top of the mountain. his father said other newborns were slaughtered by islamist fighters. seven days and nights on mount sinjar. his mother says he is sickly now and needs medical help. are helping each other survive, but it is hard to explain to the youngest why they have been singled out for slaughter. they will probably never see their home again. this man is 95. she is almost blind and was lost in the chaos when her village was attacked. she has no idea if her family is still alive. herman next to her carried from the mountain down to safety. at last, some help from outside. there are now 35,000 refugees from the yazidi minority who have flooded into northern iraq in recent days and weeks. they are adding to the numbers already here. iraq holds one million displaced people, fleeing extremists from other parts of iraq. many survivors still haven't any shelter. there is still hope for her baby

he has been to sinjar and he tells me what happens. women are married off to these isis militants. isis militants ultimately die. they then, the women become outcasts. they then are the ones oftentimes who become suicide bombers. that is one general who told me that having been to the region -- nick paton walsh, you are up with us now from iraq. and can you just explain to me when we're talking about the slaughtering of these men, the abducting of these women and children, did this happen before the rest of this group, these refugees, could even run away to this mountain? did this happen back at their homes? >> this isis commander that our producer, roger, spoke to on the phone, who was in mosul. he wasn't giving out much information. but this is significant, because kimberly was talking about what we have heard from the other side of the fence. and there has been an awful lot of misinformation to positive -- potentially accurate information hard to verify about what the fate of the yazidi women and children have been. but to have isis

we focused our attention in erbil and sinjar. they are under pressure and fighting in eight different areas. all the way to the iranian border, along a thousand kilometer front with isis. and they're outgunned an overmatched. they are confronting tanks and artillery and they have very little armor piercing weapons, really no indirect fire. and they say the trickle of u.s. small arms and ammunitions coming in, but they need much more and heavier equipment to face up to isis. >> ambassador hill, what do you think? is that our role? and are we going to provide those things the general just outlined that they're asking for? >> i think we absolutely should, whether you want to call it mission creep or not. i think the kurds for years have wanted independence and not gone after, not demanded it and moved on it because the united states didn't want them to. and so if there is a situation that develops where the kurdish people don't feel we've been there, we've been there to help protect them, i think that sentiment could change, and i t

sinjar.fficials insist that any ground support would have a humanitarian focus not a combat focus. >> the latest development comes as u.s. military planes drop food and water to yazidis. >> meanwhile a series of deadly bombings torn through baghdad, kig at least 27 people. all of this as iraqi prime minister al-maliki digs in and lashes out as what he's calling a conspiracy to replace him. >> we have iraq coverage from all the angles. >> barbara is reporting from the pentagon and anna coren will also join us. the most urgent bit of news we have coming from iraq is the word from the pentagon that it is considering an air evacuation of the yazidis from that mountain top where they have been sheltering. it's april operation that seems that could involve a ground component as well and put u.s. troops face-to-face with isis. >> we'll turn to barbara starr at the pentagon. this would be quite a mission. what would it entail? >> a lot of moving parts here. let's try and sort things out a bit. what t

sinjar on each of the past few nights. and the u.s. says the remaining number of refugees is now in the low thousands. previously it was believed it was in the tens of thousands. now, that is a positive development. but isis fighters have gained significant ground throughout northern iraq and syria as you see highlighted on this map. they virtually encircled the iraqi capital. our senator international correspondent reports for us now from baghdad. >> reporter: normal has been awful here so long. when they say it is worse than ever, pay attention. you heard the bomb that went off here on tuesday. the survivor filming the immediate panic afterwards. just down the home is the family of the prime minister designate haider al-abadi. hours later, furiously demolishing the checkpoint of the police who did not protect them. shots fired in the air, to scatter them. the next day, police there enforce, refusing to let us film them making life even tougher to live or for him to remember any other way of life. no, he says, i don't remember a time

on their flight over the isis front lines that is surrounded mount sinjar are machine gunners. they went to town. they were strafing the ground beneath us is, strafing targets. they say they are fired at every time they fly to and from mount sinjar though we didn't see evidence of that. they certainly burned through a lot of ammunition. when they get to the mountain itself, that's where you start to see the people trap add up there. i would estimate that i saw the hundreds in some cases they were clustered in a number of shacks and kind of half built houses that seemed to have been protected by barbed wire. in other cases, i saw them clustered under trees in the shade and there were huge conglomerations of parked cars kind of at the base of the mountain which looked like they were the vehicles that people used when they fled their hometowns in sinjar, when they fled the advance of isis militants. jake, the distribution of the aid was very chaotic. the iraqi air force crew were quite literally hurling these boxes and bottles out of the door of the helicopter at heights up to 50

one was from sinjar. he said his family is from sinjar, and he made three comments.e said first this is an urgent situation. second, why isn't anyone from the west helping us? and third, where is america? the kurds have requested arms, equipment, and ammunition. they're not requesting us to come in and fight for them. they'll fight. the peshmerga will fight. the tragedy is this weekend when there were reports of peshmerga forces breaking contact and withdrawing, i was told by another kurdish leader today they ran out of ammunition. so what the kurds need and what we should be providing to them are the arms, the ammunition, and the equipment that they need to fight isis. these air strikes are nice, but you can't air strike your way out of this. we have to enable the kurds to be able to fight and defend themselves. >> mr. reiter, what do you think? >> well, i couldn't more violently agree with general barbaro. you can't do everything. i applaud the president, finally, for making the decision tonight to support with air strikes. but you can't close here. this is on the

their survivors of mount sinjar. this is the next step on their long journey. the youngest refugee was 10 days old when his mother carried him in her arms to safety on top of the mountain. his father said other newborns were slaughtered by islamist fighters. seven days and nights on mount sinjar. his mother says he is sickly now and needs medical help. are helping each other survive, but it is hard to explain to the youngest why they have been singled out for slaughter. they will probably never see their home again. this man is 95. she is almost blind and was lost in the chaos when her village was attacked. she has no idea if her family is still alive. herman next to her carried from the mountain down to safety. at last, some help from outside. there are now 35,000 refugees from the yazidi minority who have flooded into northern iraq in recent days and weeks. they are adding to the numbers already here. iraq holds one million displaced people, fleeing extremists from other parts of iraq. many survivors still haven't any shelter. there is still hope for her baby

they are all from sinjar. almost everyone was on sinjar mountain. they walked down into syria and back into iraq again, but they're journey isn't over. >> on the mountain, people were hungry and thirsty and didn't know what would happen to them. they still don't. this is the new sinjar mountain. thousands of people are stranded here. after what happened in their villages, they say they can never go home again. it's not just the massacres, it's the death of an entire way of life. >> 5,000 people are crammed into this construction site near the border of the kurdish region and turkey. many of them say men from the surrounding arab villages supported the islamic state group and were involved in the kidnappings and killings. for more than a thousand years, the yazidis ever practiced their religion and kept to themselves. they thought it would keep them safe. they were wrong. aljazeera, northern iraq. >> tune nearby is that and egypt canceled flights to libya following weeks of fighting in the country. rocket fire struck an off a fluent area of tripoli f

sinjar today.s tied to that policy decision we made, and we were waiting for political reconciliation while people are dying out there in iraq, and waiting for that reconciliation to take place. i think that was a huge mistake on the administration's part. >> do you believe that we are currently in a third war in iraq? there was an editorial in the wall street journal today that said we're bombing with f-13s, we have military on the ground, increasingly so, as of today. are we now in a situation where we're in a third war there? >> i believe we are, and it's going to increase in scale and scope. the fact of the matter is, the administration has not recognized yet that they need a comprehensive strategy to defeat isis. isis is truly the issue. there's no magic wand going to take place when we have a new government in iraq. and somehow isis is going to go away, because we're reconciling the sunni tribes. this is a major threat to the region and certainly to the united states. i believe this, martha.

sinjar and protect the civilians trapped there. already american aircraft have begun conducting humanitarian air drops of food and water to help these desperate men, women, and children survive. earlier this week one iraqi in the area cried to the world, there is no one coming to help. well, today america is coming to help. we're also consulting with other countries and the united nations who have called for action to address this humanitarian crisis. i know that many of you are rightly concerned about any american military action in iraq, even limited strikes like these. i understand that. i ran for this office in part to end our war in iraq and welcome our troops home, and that's what we've done. as commander in chief, i will not allow the united states to be dragged into fighting another war in iraq. and so even as we support iraqis as they take the fight to these terrorists, american combat troops will not be returning to fight in iraq. because there is no american military solution to the larger crisis in iraq. the only lastin

sinjar and protect the civilians trapped there. american aircraft have begun conducting humanitarian air drops of food and water to help these desperate men, women, and children survive. earlier this week one iraqi in the area cried to the world, there is no one coming to help. well, today america is coming to help. we're also consulting with other countries and the united nations who have called for action to address this humanitarian crisis. i know that many of you are rightly concerned about any american military action in iraq, even limited strikes like these. i understand that. i ran for this office in part to end our war in iraq and welcome our troops home, and that's what we've done. as commander in chief, i will not allow the united states to be dragged into fighting another war in iraq. and so even as we support iraqis as they take the fight to these terrorists, american combat troops will not be returning to fight in iraq. because there is no american military solution to the larger crisis in iraq. the only lasting soluti

the overall commander for iraq, to go over a report filed by a team of green berets directly from sinjar mountain where the refugees had threat fled to escape islamic militants. although u.s. aircraft had been flying round the clock u.s. reconnaissance missions over iraq for weeks, what the green berets reported was a revelation. there were only 5,000 civilians on the mountain, and only 2,000 of them wanted to come down. the rest lived there tending crops and livestock. that contrasted with initial estimates as high as 35,000 to 50,000 refugees. none of the civilians still on the mountain were in danger of dying of thirst or starvation. in fact, some of the pal ats of water and food dropped by the air force on preceding nights had not even been open. 10,000 to 15,000 refugees had already left the mountain under their own power. an exodus tribal leaders told the green berets was made possible by the water and food drops which gave the refugees the strength to travel, u.s. airstrikes which had driven back the islamic militants, and kurdish soldiers who served as escorts. the air force had

military personnel went to mount sinjar wednesday to assess the situation. earlier, deputy national security advisor ben rhodes said the u.s. had been working on a plan to rescue the yazidis if need be. >> you look at different ways to move people to a safer position. >> u.s. officials say several thousand rackee refugees still remain on the mountain, but the pentagon said the numbers are smaller than expected and that refugees appear to be in better condition than originally thought. hagel says the u.s. humanitarian air drop of food and water have helped keep them alive. military airstrikes on islamic state targets allowed many of the displaced to flee the mountain. britain's prime minister pledged his countries support for the mission in iraq. >> britain will play a role just as we did with british aid help to go keep these people alive in a really desperate situation. >> the u.s. will keep bombing the islamic state group militants as long as they pose a threat to the yazidis and to u.s. personnel. the administration insists it will not put combat troops b

the siege on mount sinjar siege has been ended. >> the situation on the mount has greatly improved, and americans should be very proud skill and professionalism of our military and the generosity of our people, we broke the isil siege of mount sinjar. we helped vulnerable people reach safety and we helped save men innocent lives. >> a drastic turn around from yesterday when pentagon officials were considering a rescue mission to save ya sid diz. the president said american troops inspected the scene and most of the scene will be leaving iraq soon. still, the president said the overall threat from the islamic state fighters across iraq is dire, his words. you can see on our wall the areas the militants now control, with a brutal hand. president obama said the united states will help people suffering as the terror group advances, but only in ways that do not put our u.s. troops into combat. joining us know is the pentagon press secretary, rear admiral john kirby. great to see you. >> thanks, shep. >> does not put our troops in a combat position. we now established a base from which we are

on sinjar mountain where the united states says it's looking less likely an evacuation mission will take place to help stranded refugees. united nations has been saying tens of thousand from the religious minority have been trapped on the mountain by fighters from the group's islamic state. the u.s. says the operation it carry add out shows far fewer trapped than previously estimated. all of them the u.s. says have access to food and water from aid drops. thousands had been rescued from the mountain and taken to refugee camp as. the area has been overwhelmed by 150,000 internally displaced people. let's bring you up to date. we can join my colleague in the kurdish regional capital of irbil. >> reporter: lucy, it's been an extraordinary 24 hours here in iraq. the situation keeps shifting and changing and is very fluid. just a day ago, the united states says it was considering conducting military operations to help rescue those refugees stuck on mount sinjar. we were told many of those refugees that there were tens of ho thousands up there without food and water. the u.s. sent a team of 20

many including members of the yazidi minority group are trapped in the sinjar mountains. they were without food and water for days before the air dropped supplies. a kurdish senior official has confirmed that is fighters have taken over the dam and if damaged it could cause flooding from the tigress river to baghdad. >> i'm joined by founder and executive of the iraq foundation for development and democracy in london and a political analyst. i first have to--we just heard barack obama speak, and it's surprising how much he has emphasized how important it is for iraq to form an inclusive government to the point where it is almost a criticism of what is going on in the iraqi government now. what chance is there of iraq forming that inclusive government that the u.s. has colorly wants, and will his message have any impact? >> well, the fact that any military movement needs environment and actually the policies actually created to help inenvironment to take over. the sunni moderate has pushed it to the lap of the extremist. now to get over this and isolating the kurds and lea

sinjar each of the past few nights. and the u.s. says the number of remaining refugees is now in the low thousands. >> a report from our senior correspondent featured one family in particular as they rushed to board an iraqi helicopter to take them to safety. he managed to find that family again and here's his report. >> reporter: in the chaos of an evacuation from sinjar mountain, several faces stood out. a 16-month-old baby, and two very frightened sisters. two days after their airborne escape, we found their older brother who was also on the helicopter. he led us to the place where they found refuge. >> can we see? >> reporter: after fleeing isis, this is how thousands of iraqis are living. >> we don't have food, we don't have drink, we don't have sleep. >> up on the third floor of this derelict building, we find our friends from the helicopter. >> hi, guys. [ speaking foreign language ] >> look at you. i remember you. hi. >> it turns out 16-month-old helen is a cousin of the teenage sisters who were rescued. >> hi. it's good to