Kurdish news agency releases video of private humanitarian helicopter drop, swamped by refugees.

[Fred Sanders]

Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2014, 03:08 PM - Edit history (2)

*EDIT: CNN Now showing snips of this near 3 minute video. I should have called dibs.


Helicopter carrying aid reaches Mount Sinjar (Mount Shingal, in Kurdish)
2:46

August 9, 2014 12:37 PM EDT — A glimpse of desperate plight of Yazidis trapped on the mountaintop, besieged by extremists from the Islamic State in Iraq. Kurdish forces and a human rights organization distributed food and water to those in need on Friday. (Rudaw Kurdish)

Story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/08/09/video-helicopter-carrying-aid-reaches-yazidis-stranded-on-mount-sinjar/?hpid=z1

Video:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/world/helicopter-carrying-aid-reaches-mount-sinjar/2014/08/09/e9efb488-1fe3-11e4-9b6c-12e30cbe86a3_video.html

U.S. airstrike targets militants in Iraq http://wapo.st/X6RPoM via @PostTV

"As the United States drops humanitarian aid onto Mount Sinjar, where thousands of Iraq's minority Yazidis are stranded without food or water, Iraqi forces and local charities have been organizing their own efforts to help those in need.

A video released by Rudaw, a Kurdish news organization, gives a glimpse of those operations, as well as the desperate plight of those trapped on the mountaintop, besieged by extremists from the Islamic State.

Crowds swarm as the helicopter laden with food and water touches down on the mountain, known as Mount Shingal in Kurdish. The footage appears to show one young man scrambling to climb aboard as it takes off again. Twenty people managed to squeeze into the helicopter to be lifted to safety, the video states."

[femmocrat]

1. Is a mass evacuation by helicopter possible?

There are probably many sick people who need immediate attention.

[Fred Sanders]

2. Looked like a thousand people just at this one spot...is there room on troop transport helicopters?

[Kaleva]

3. I think it may be best if they have adequete food and water first.

Trying to evacuate thousands of desperate, thirsty, and hungry people by air in any kind orderly fashion may be next to impossible unless one firsts brings in troops to maintain order.

[Fred Sanders]

5. We got troops, don't we....and airlift to other cities would solve the food and water problem, the

Kurds will take care of their own.

[freshwest]

14. The Iraqis tried to get the food and water through and were repelled. It's going to be their troops

on the ground, and ours in the air. I'm going to post the video here and maybe elsewhere. I couldn't see the one from your link, it said the content was not available. I'll add it in a reply for your thread.

[freshwest]

13. After they lighten the load, they should take some away. That's the entire point of the thing.

I'm going to post the video in a minute. Troops are firing from the helicopter as they go there, as ISIS is in the area with convoys.

[tblue37]

17. The video says there are about 100,000 people there. It would take A LOT of helicopters

to evacuate a hundred thousand people! And of course each copter would be flying in and out under fire from ISIS troops.

[freshwest]

18. Yes, it will... Or the covering fire I mentioned will allow convoys to get them out, which they

are unable to do without fighing them. I was only speaking to the idea we should only drop off stuff, if it is what poster means.

Practically speaking, why fly back with no one on the return trip, is all I'm saying. It's impractical to remove all of them that way but the purpose is to get them out of there. I mean no more than that. See what I meant by that?

[MineralMan]

4. It would take a lot of helicopters or a lot of trips.

As the video reported, the helicopter was fired on, as well, as it headed for the drop point.

A mass evacuation may not be possible right now. Probably not enough helicopters available.

[Fred Sanders]

6. Relying on memory alone, America has hundreds of aircraft and thousands of troops within range.

[MineralMan]

7. I'm not sure that's correct, actually.

There's no landing strip where those people are, so it would have to be helicopters. How many of those are available and within range I do not know. They got 20 people on the one in the video. How many thousands of people are up there on that mountain top?

Not all aircraft in the area can carry passengers or land on a mountaintop where there is no airfield.

And then, there's the question of where they would be taken. I have no answer for that, since I don't know the exact situation.

Sometimes solutions sound easier than they actually are. I think that's the case here.

[Fred Sanders]

8. Worth discussing, I am hopeful Obama has all the info and a humanitarian battle plan as well.

"Instead of dropping stuff on folks, how about we lift the folks out?", I can hear him say....

[MineralMan]

12. He has the information, of course. He also knows the

limitations in many ways. Tough job for him. I wouldn't want it.

[MH1]

9. Yes, and by taking care of immediate survival needs, you create a better climate for valor,

where the younger and stronger will help organize to allow the sick and weaker folks to be evacuated or at least better cared for.

In a situation where all are dying of thirst, hunger, and exposure, it would be a lot harder to have people step up to do this.

But hopefully once that takes hold, helicopters could be used to evacuate the most vulnerable.

[Fred Sanders]

10. Better climate for valor? Never heard that one before...is it like "no pain, no gain"?

So that is what IDF is doing in Gaza with their healthy youth left behind....a favor to them.

[MH1]

11. Why bring Gaza into it? I'm just saying when people aren't starving, they're more likely to be

altruistic. The word "altruistic" didn't occur to me while I was typing so I used "valor". I thought it was clear. Maybe I was wrong that it was clear, or maybe my assertion is wrong anyway.

But I don't see why you would bring Gaza into it. That is a whole different situation. (Awful in its own way. But not relevant to this discussion.)

[freshwest]

15. VIDEO:

I think this is the one in the OP, which didn't come through for me so I looked for it. The description and what I see on the video sound the same.

[Uncle Joe]

16. The video is worth watching just to get an idea of the Yazidis' desperation.

Thanks for the thread, Fred Sanders.

[roamer65]

19. We need to give the KRG whatever assistance it needs...

to help these people and defeat Jihadistani forces.