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British military planes to drop food aid in Iraq

08 August 2014 19:20 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. British defense secretary said British forces are to drop food aid for members of the Yazidi community and others under threat from militants in Iraq, APA reports quoting BBC.

Michael Fallon said Britain's main focus would be supporting the U.S. in their planned air strikes on militants with surveillance and refuelling. But Britain would also "add to it" with "food drops of our own."

U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday evening that he has authorized targeted airstrikes and airdrops of aid in Iraq amid a humanitarian crisis.

The U.S. air force has started on Friday airstrikes against Iraqi Sunni extremist targets in northern Iraq, according to media and Pentagon sources.

The Pentagon said American aircraft attacked artillery that was being used against Kurdish forces defending the northern city of Irbil.

British Prime Minster David Cameron welcomed the U.S. air strikes but ruled out Britain involvement in military action.

Cameron has said the world must help religious minorities in Iraq who are under threat from the militants "in their hour of desperate need".

"I welcome president Obama's decision to accept the Iraqi government's request for help and to conduct targeted US air strikes, if necessary, to help Iraqi forces as they fight back against Isil terrorists to free the civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar," said Cameron in a statement on Friday.

"And I fully agree with the president that we should stand up for the values we believe in - the right to freedom and dignity, whatever your religious beliefs," he added.

Jihadists in Iraq forced up to 100,000 Christians and people with other minority faith to flee, reported the Times, and 40,000 refugees were trapped on the Sinjar mountains by militants. In recent days they said that food and water had run out.

"We are offering aid of our own, which we hope to drop over the next couple of days, in support of the American relief effort, particularly to help those who are trapped on the mountain," said Fallon.