US President Barack Obama Warns of Extended Action

Against ISIS in Iraq

United States President Barack Obama spoke about US military action in Iraq, saying that these strikes will not subside anytime soon, and that it could take a long time. In a New York Times report, he was quoted as saying that

““I don’t think we’re going to solve this problem in weeks…This is going to be a long-term project.” Obama has ruled out ground forces in Iraq, although has committed to working with the Iraqi government, pending their unification (New York Times) against the Islamic State of Syria (or the Islamic State).

One of the reasons for these actions has been ISIS’ concentration of activities against the Yazidi community in Northern Iraq. It has been reported that more and more dying from being stranded on mountain Sinjar, although the New York Times piece did report that at least temporarily, there was a cleared escape route from the mountain, although many are still stranded.

According to current figures from the report, 5000-12000 were able to leave the mountain on August 9th.
Sadly however, a number of those who did flee ended up dying because of the horrendous conditions facing them.

This continues to be a dire situation, and the hope is that all of the citizens will be able to leave the mountain to safety, away from ISIS forces, and that ISIS will lose their hold on areas of control in Iraq. Their continued human rights abuses are highly disturbing, and we need to ensure that all of the citizens in Iraq are protected from ISIS or the Islamic State.