Aircraft from Australia, France and the UK also take part in the aid drop to help Shia Turkomans

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

The Pentagon says the US military has conducted airstrikes and dropped humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Iraqi city of Amirli, where thousands of Shia Turkomans have been cut off from food and water for nearly two months by Islamic State militants.

The Pentagon’s press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, said aircraft from Australia, France and the UK joined the US in the aid drop, which was at the request of the Iraqi government.

US aircraft delivered more than 100 bundles of emergency supplies, and more aid was dropped from the other countries’ planes, officials said.

The US military conducted the airstrikes to support the aid delivery, Kirby said. Iraqi army and Kurdish forces closed in on Islamic State fighters on Saturday in a push to break the Sunni militants’ siege of Amerli, which has been surrounded by the militants for more than two months.

Warplanes hit three Humvee patrol vehicles, a tank and an armed vehicle held by militants in addition to a checkpoint controlled by the group, according to the military’s Central Command, which runs US operations in the Middle East.

“All aircraft safely exited the area,” it said in a statement.

Kirby said the operations would be limited in scope and duration as needed to address the humanitarian crisis in Amirli and protect the civilians trapped in the town.

Instead of fleeing in the face of the Islamic State drive across northern Iraq, the Turkomans have stayed and fortified their town of 15,000 with trenches and armed positions.

While Amirli fought off the initial attack in June, it has been surrounded by the militants since mid-July. Some residents have said that the Iraqi military’s efforts to fly in food, water and other aid have not been enough amid oppressive heat, lack of electrical power and shelling from the militants.

The US had been watching the area closely in case a slaughter of the Turkmans appeared imminent and air support was needed, said Michael Knights, who studies Iraq and the Persian Gulf as a fellow of the Washington Institute.

US airstrikes would hasten the success of the relief effort on the ground, he said.

About half the town’s population was aged 15 and under while many others were elderly, sick or wounded, Knights said.

“They are remarkably vulnerable, and Isis is determined to kill as many of these people as possible.”