Reuters quotes Rafik Hariri Center Senior Fellow Frederic Hof on what US options exist for evacuating civilians from a mountain in northern Iraq:
Fred Hof, a former senior State Department official now at the Atlantic Council, said the U.S. strikes could help by enabling the Peshmerga, who have suffered recent defeats at Islamic State hands, to regain the advantage.
“The key to rescuing tens of thousands of Yazidis is for the Peshmerga – with tactical air support from U.S. Naval Aviation and Air Force assets – to clear the Sinjar area of (Islamic State) fighters and make it possible to rescue and resettle these terrified people and allow truck loads of emergency humanitarian aid to reach them,” he said.