At last a victory over ISIS: Iraqi forces break through to town of Amerli after US air strikes and aid drop - lifting two-month siege
It is the biggest offensive success for the Iraqi government
since militants led by the Sunni Islamic State jihadist group overran
large areas of five provinces in June, sweeping security forces aside.
The breakthrough came as America carried out limited strikes outside
north Iraq for the first time since its air campaign against militants
began more than three weeks ago, and aircraft from several countries
dropped humanitarian aid to Amerli. The mainly Shiite Turkmen residents
of the town in Salaheddin province were running desperately short of
food and water, and were in danger both because of their Shiite faith,
which jihadists consider heresy, and their resistance to the militants,
which has drawn harsh retribution elsewhere.
Iraqi forces break through to besieged town of Amerli after US air strikes and aid drop - ending two-month Islamic State siege
- It is biggest offensive success for the Iraqi government since the jihadist group overran five provinces in June
- Breakthrough came as America carried out limited strikes outside north Iraq for the first time in their military campaign
- Aircraft delivered over 100 bundles of emergency supplies while more aid was dropped from British and French planes
- Warplanes hit three vehicles, a tank and an armed vehicle while Amerli was completely surrounded
Iraqi
forces broke through to the jihadist-besieged Shiite town of Amerli
today where thousands of people have been trapped for more than two
months with dwindling food and water supplies.
It
is the biggest offensive success for the Iraqi government since
militants led by the Sunni Islamic State jihadist group overran large
areas of five provinces in June, sweeping security forces aside.
The
breakthrough came as America carried out limited strikes outside north
Iraq for the first time since its air campaign against the militants
began more than three weeks ago, and aircraft from several countries
dropped humanitarian aid to Amerli.
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Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire a
rifle towards Islamic State position during the clashes which are part
of the biggest offensive by the Iraqi government since June
An Iraqi militia fighter from Shiite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigade), fires a mortar
during the heavy clashes
Two soldiers bend down and cover their
ears as a cannon is fired in Duz-Khurmatu during the biggest offensive
by the Iraqi government since June
A militiaman wears a balaclava with a skeleton design as he poses for a photo with other armed comrades
The
mainly Shiite Turkmen residents of the town in Salaheddin province were
running desperately short of food and water, and were in danger both
because of their Shiite faith, which jihadists consider heresy, and
their resistance to the militants, which has drawn harsh retribution
elsewhere.
'Our
forces entered Amerli and broke the siege,' Iraqi security spokesman
Lieutenant General Qassem Atta said, an account confirmed by a local
official and a fighter from the town.
'It is a very important success,' Atta later said on state television, adding that there was still fighting in the area.
The
operation was launched on Saturday after days of preparations in which
Iraqi security forces, Shiite militiamen and Kurdish fighters deployed
for the assault and Iraqi aircraft carried out strikes against
militants.
The
U.S. had carried out air strikes against Islamic State fighters near
the town in northern Iraq and airdropped humanitarian aid to civilians
trapped there, the Pentagon said.
President
Barack Obama authorised the new military action, broadening U.S.
operations in Iraq amid an international outcry over the threat to
Amerli's mostly ethnic Turkmen population.
A man loads a bullet into a recoilless
rifle before. The breakthrough by the Iraqi government came as America
carried out limited strikes outside north Iraq for the first time since
its air campaign against militants began more than three weeks ago
A soldier wearing ear defenders fires a
machine gun at IS positions. Residents in the area have been trapped
for more than two months
Peshmerga fighters prepare bullets for a machine gun during heavy clashes with Islamic State militants in Duz-Khurmatu, Iraq
An Iraqi militia fighter from Shiite
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Saraya al-Salam (Peace Brigade), stands up next
to a rocket launcher holding a flag and a rifle
A plume of smoke hovers after Kurdish
troops fire a recoilless rifle during the clashes around 88 kilometres
(54 miles) south of Kirkuk
An Al-Sadr militia fighter fires a
mortar towards Islamic State positions while his comrade watches and
puts his hands over his ears
A soldier turns away after a firing a
mortar towards IS positions in Salaheddin province. The clashes have
been welcomed by residents who have been running out of vital supplies
including food and water
A woman and children react in a military helicopter after being evacuated by Iraqi forces from Amerli, north of Baghdad
Evacuation: A home to around 180,000
people, mostly Turkmen Shi'ites, the small town of Amerli, north of
Baghdad is still holding out against repeated attacks by Islamic State
fighters
Women and children are evacuated in a military helicopter by Iraqi forces from Amerli, north of Baghdad
Iraqi security forces and Turkmen
Shiite fighters, who volunteered to join the government forces, hold a
position on August 4 in Amerli, some 100 miles north of Baghdad
U.S.
aircraft delivered over a hundred bundles of emergency supplies and
more aid was dropped from British, French and Australian planes,
officials said, signaling headway in Obama's efforts to draw allies into
the fight against Islamic State.
Iraqi
army and Kurdish forces closed in on Islamic State fighters in a push
to break the Sunni militants' siege of Amerli, which has been surrounded
by the militants for more than two months.
Armed
residents of Amerli have managed to fend off attacks by Islamic State
fighters, who regard the town's majority Shi'ite Turkmen population as
apostates. More than 15,000 people remain trapped inside.
At the request of the government of Iraq, the United States military today airdropped humanitarian aid to the town of Amerli
'At
the request of the government of Iraq, the United States military today
airdropped humanitarian aid to the town of Amerli, home to thousands of
Shia Turkmen who have been cut off from receiving food, water, and
medical supplies for two months by ISIL,' Rear Admiral John Kirby, the
Pentagon press secretary, said, using an alternative name for Islamic
State.
'In
conjunction with this airdrop, U.S. aircraft conducted coordinated air
strikes against nearby ISIL terrorists in order to support this
humanitarian assistance operation,' he said, adding that a key objective
was to prevent a militant attack on civilians in the town.
He said the operations would be 'limited in their scope and duration' in order to protect Amerli's population.
Warplanes
hit three Humvee patrol vehicles, a tank and an armed vehicle held by
militants in addition to a checkpoint controlled by the group, according
to the military's Central Command, which runs U.S. operations in the
Middle East. 'All aircraft safely exited the area,' it said in a
statement.
When
Obama ordered the first air strikes and air drops in Iraq earlier this
month, he justified the military operation in part to prevent a
humanitarian catastrophe for thousands of ethnic Yazidis trapped by
Islamic State militants on Sinjar mountain in northern Iraq.
Islamic State militants overran most of Sunni Arab areas of Iraq after seizing the northern city of Mosul on June 10
The town of Amerli is around 100 miles north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad
This is the area, straddling Iraq and Syria, the Islamic State group claimed to have control of
In mid-August, he declared that the militant siege there had been broken.
Earlier
on Saturday, two officers said Iraqi troops, militia and Kurdish
peshmerga were advancing on Amerli from four directions.
A
major in the Iraqi army, who was advancing north towards Amerli from
Udhaim, said progress was slow because the militants had mined the
roads. He said they were around 15 km (9 miles) from the town, while
those approaching from the north were just 3 km away.
The
major said he had counted the corpses of more than 40 militants killed
in Iraqi air strikes on the road between Udhaim and the village of
Injana.
Also
on Saturday, the Pentagon said U.S. warplanes and armed drones had
carried out five air strikes on Islamic State fighters near Iraq's
largest dam, the latest in a series of attacks in support of Iraqi and
Kurdish forces.
The
strikes destroyed an Islamic State armed vehicle, a fighting position
and weapons, and damaged a building near Mosul Dam, the Pentagon said.
Backed by U.S. air power, Kurdish forces recaptured the strategic
facility nearly two weeks ago.
Separately
on Saturday, a suicide bomber driving a car packed with explosives
killed at least 11 people at a checkpoint in the town of Yusifiya, 15 km
(9 miles) south of Baghdad, a police officer said.
Islamic
State militants overran most of Sunni Arab areas of Iraq after seizing
the northern city of Mosul on June 10, and have proclaimed a caliphate
straddling the border with Syria, where they also control vast swaths of
territory.
The
lightning offensive brought the militants within range of the capital
of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region earlier this month, prompting air
strikes by the United States.
The Kurds have since been slowly regaining ground from the militants and on Saturday advanced on the northern town of Zumar.
Peshmerga
spokesman Halgurd Hikmat said control over Zumar would help the Kurds
retake Rabia and Sinjar, two other areas seized by Islamic State.
Violence in Iraq this year has reached levels unseen since 2006-2007, when the country was in the throes of civil war.
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