Sunday, August 31, 2014

3 tonnes of humanitarian aid dropped near Amirli by French Military

Video footage showing three tonnes of humanitarian aid being dropped near the northern Iraqi town of Amirli was released by the French military on Sunday.

The military said the aid was dropped from an aircraft overnight between Saturday and Sunday.

On Sunday, Iraqi security forces and Shiite militiamen broke a six-week siege imposed by the Islamic State extremist group on the northern Shiite Turkmen town, officials said.

About 15,000 Shiite Turkmens were stranded in the farming community, some 105 miles (170 kilometers) north of Baghdad.

Instead of fleeing in the face of the Islamic State group's rampage across northern Iraq in June, the Shiite Turkmens stayed and fortified their town with trenches and armed positions.

Residents succeeded in fending off the initial attack in June, but Amirli has been surrounded by the militants since mid-July.

Many residents said the Iraqi military's efforts to fly in food, water and other aid had not been enough, as they endured the oppressive August heat with virtually no electricity or running water.

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