US sends another 130 military advisers to Iraq
The United States has announced plans to send another 130 military advisers to Iraq in an effort to bolster the force of 300 already in the country to help advise Iraqi forces on how best to deal with the expanding threat posed by the Islamic State.
Russia Today reports that the announcement of the deployment of an additional 130 advisers came as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel addressed Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton, California.
In those remarks, Hagel elaborated on what role the advisers would play by saying they would, "assess the scope of the humanitarian mission and develop additional humanitarian assistance options beyond the current airdrop effort in support of displaced Iraqi civilians trapped on Sinjar Mountain by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant."
Those civilians are the beleaguered minority sect known as the Yezidis. There are an estimated 30,000 of them trapped on Sinjar Mountain without food, water, or shelter. The United States and Kurdish forces have been carrying out airdrops of food and water, occasionally taking some of the stranded Yezidis with them to safety.
A Kurdish helicopter crashed Aug. 12 when it was trying to leave with a number of Yezidis after dropping off food and water.
The team arrived in Erbil, the Kurdish capital, Aug. 12, according to RT.
Hagel's statement that the team would assess options "beyond the current airdrop effort," suggests that the advisors may evaluate the viability of rescuing the Yezidis, or establishing a corridor to allow safe passage to Erbil. Such an action would mark a significant increase in U.S. involvement on the ground in Iraq.
U.S. forces have already carried out a number of airstrikes on IS positions, convoys, and artillery batteries. Despite alluding to a possible escalation of U.S. involvement, Hagel reiterated the U.S. government does not want to send troops back into Iraq.
