© 2024 KPCW

KPCW
Spencer F. Eccles Broadcast Center
PO Box 1372 | 460 Swede Alley
Park City | UT | 84060
Office: (435) 649-9004 | Studio: (435) 655-8255

Music & Artist Inquiries: music@kpcw.org
News Tips & Press Releases: news@kpcw.org
Volunteer Opportunities
General Inquiries: info@kpcw.org
Listen Like a Local Park City & Heber City Summit & Wasatch counties, Utah
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

WATCH: Rescue Mission In Iraq Leaves Everyone Onboard In Tears

Staff Sgt. Daniel Leavindofske and Senior Airman David Babcock help load bundles of halal meals onto a cargo aircraft for a humanitarian mission over Iraq on Saturday.
Staff Sgt. Vernon Young Jr.
/
U.S. Air Force via Getty Images
Staff Sgt. Daniel Leavindofske and Senior Airman David Babcock help load bundles of halal meals onto a cargo aircraft for a humanitarian mission over Iraq on Saturday.

Newly released visuals of airstrikes and humanitarian missions in northern Iraq are providing a glimpse into the chaos and desperation in the region, amid political turmoil that has politicians battling for power.

In a press briefing Monday afternoon, the Pentagon's Lt. Gen. William Mayville Jr. said U.S. airstrikes have temporarily slowed the Islamic State militants in northern Iraq. But, he cautioned, he did not want to suggest that "we have effectively contained" the extremist group.

CNN reporter Ivan Watson witnessed the threat firsthand from an Iraqi air force helicopter that was delivering humanitarian aid to people stranded on Mount Sinjar. He described the scene to CNN's Wolf Blitzer in a video with footage of the mission (he also tweeted photos and more details).

The helicopter, carrying diapers, condensed milk, food and water, first flew over an area with militants who have been trying to shoot at aircraft.

As the helicopter touched down on Mount Sinjar — in an "explosion of dust and chaos," as Watson put it — people clamored to pull themselves aboard.

"These desperate civilians came racing toward the helicopter, throwing their children onboard the aircraft," Watson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "The crew was just trying to pull up as many people as possible. A little baby — a redheaded baby — ended up in my hands. It was chaotic; it was crazy. But we were able to then lift off with about 20 civilians."

Watson described the people who had been picked up as "terrified and traumatized." They told him they had fled their homes and had been without food and water for days.

"The crowd onboard the helicopter burst into tears, as did some of the [Kurdish] peshmerga fighters who were onboard there trying to help them," he said. "Just the relief was palpable."

The next challenge was a half-hour ride back across the area with militant extremists.

This was one of several flights throughout the day, Watson reported.

U.S. Central Command has released its own footage of a humanitarian airdrop on Saturday in Sinjar: Large packages of food and water slide out of cargo aircraft, as their parachutes open up.

CENTCOM also posted videos of airstrikes to YouTube, as noted by The Washington Post.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Dana Farrington is a digital editor coordinating online coverage on the Washington Desk — from daily stories to visual feature projects to the weekly newsletter. She has been with the NPR Politics team since President Trump's inauguration. Before that, she was among NPR's first engagement editors, managing the homepage for NPR.org and the main social accounts. Dana has also worked as a weekend web producer and editor, and has written on a wide range of topics for NPR, including tech and women's health.