US Jets Target ISIL Positions in Iraq
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The US military attacked the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) positions in the besieged Iraqi town of Amerli and near Iraq's largest dam in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.
In the previous weeks, the US forces in northern Iraq have conducted airstrikes in support of Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground, fighting against the ISIL, which controls large areas in Syria and Iraq.
Commenting on the airstrikes on Amerli, John Kirby, the US department of defence spokesman, said on Sunday that President Barack Obama authorised the "limited" military operation to prevent an ISIL attack on the town and to enable an aid drop to those in the town.
In Amerli, thousands of Shiite Turkmen have been cut off from food and water for nearly two months besieged by the ISIL fighters. Residents, who are in danger because of their faith and their resistance to the armed group, have vowed to kill themselves rather than risk capture by the group.
Kirby said the aid came at the request of the Iraqi government and that the US military conducted the raids to support the aid delivery, the AP news agency reported.
He added that aircraft from Australia, France and the UK had joined the US in the aid drop.
The strikes come as Iraq launched a major operation to liberate the besieged town, with support from armed Shiite Muslims. The AFP news agency reported that Kurdish peshmerga were also involved in the operation.
