Early this morning US time, two 500-pound,
laser-guided bombs were dropped by US forces on Islamic State (IS) targets
outside of Erbil, Iraq. Overnight, the Obama administration shifted its policy
of non-military intervention in the ever-expanding conflict with the Islamic
State, citing both humanitarian and strategic concerns. Since June 2014,
Islamic State has made several alarming advances in Iraq and Syria, claiming
major cities such as Fallujah, Ramadi, and Mosul, and re-engaging Syrian
government and rebel forces across the border.
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| Islamic State positions. Courtesy NY Times. |
The capture of key territory in both
countries has reinforced the extremist group’s financial and military
resources, and in IS strongholds, a strict form of Islamic law is being
enforced. The US airstrikes come on the heels of the displacement of tens of
thousands of Yazidi Iraqis, whose religion has been deemed “devil worship” by
IS and who were warned to “convert or die.” In his statement last night, US
Pres. Barack Obama indicated that the decision to expand humanitarian and
military aid was based on fears that “acts of genocide” may soon be carried out
against Iraqi Yazidis, approximately 40,000 of whom are trapped without food or
water on Sinjar Mountain in Kurdish Iraq.
