WASHINGTON, August 14 (RIA Novosti) - The United States will continue airstrikes against the Islamic States (IS) militants Iraq, President Barack Obama said Thursday, adding that he does not expect there to be an additional operation to evacuate people from mountain.
“We will continue airstrikes to protect our people and facilities in Iraq. We have increased the delivery of military assistance to Iraqi and Kurdish forces fighting ISIL [IS] on the front lines,” Obama said in his address Thursday.
Obama noted that the US airstrikes and airdrops in Iraq “saved thousands of Iraqis trapped on a mount.”
“The bottom line is that the situation on the mountain has greatly improved,” Obama concluded.
Last week, Obama authorized targeted airstrikes against the Islamic State militants and ordered airdrop deliveries to help those trapped on the mount Sinjar.
Obama said the operation aimed to protect US personnel in Iraq and prevent the “genocide” of Iraqi religious minorities. The Sunni Muslim group controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria. Recent attacks on Kurdish-run northern Iraq have forced tens of thousands of Christians to flee their homes.
