It has been nearly three years since U.S. forces left Iraq, three years since Obama announced the war there was over. The last convoy of U.S. soldiers left Iraq in December 2011.
Administration officials believe the Iraqis are best-suited to deal with the threat of ISIS, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, over the long term.
“We’re laying down a marker here that even though [ISIS] is not penetrating Erbil, just their presence on the periphery, and the potential threat they pose, could lead us to take action if the targets present themselves,” an official told ABC News.
U.S. forces are conducting a difficult and dangerous humanitarian mission, with three U.S. Air Force cargo jets escorted by two F-18 fighter jets dropping critical supplies. In a race to stop a catastrophe, thousands of families who fled to the top of a mountain in Sinjar now face a worrisome predicament, battling blistering heat, pleading that there is no water or bread. Nearly 20 children have already died.
They are trapped 3,000 feet up with no escape.