RAF Tornado jets are set to carry out surveillance operations to support the delivery of aid to refugees trapped on mountains in northern Iraq.
The planes flew from the UK on Monday to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.
Three consignments of aid have now been dropped by the UK, and more are planned.
Labour's shadow foreign secretary, Douglas Alexander, has urged the government to step up its humanitarian response.
"Clearly the UK must now also be doing all that we can to assist the vital humanitarian effort that is now under way to help save lives and prevent further suffering," he said.
Using military assets to deliver supplies was among the contributions the government should make, he said.
US advisersThe UN has warned that tens of thousands of civilians are trapped by fighters from militant group Islamic State (IS).
US forces have carried out a number of air strikes targeting IS militants near Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, while drones have also fired on jihadist fighters.
Additionally the US had sent 130 more military advisers to the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Jihadists are reportedly targeting Iraqi Christians and members of the Yazidi religious sect.
About 35,000 people have escaped from the mountains into Syria and then into the Kurdistan region of Iraq in the past three days, with the UN warning they needed "life-saving assistance".
Some 700,000 Yazidis are believed to been displaced.
Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play.
The BBC's Paul Wood reports on the military strategy to push back the Islamist fighters
International Development Secretary Justine Greening confirmed a third round of UK air drops successfully took place on Tuesday night.
There have now been five drops over three nights, which included 2,640 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water and more than 500 shelter kits to help shade the refugees in temperatures of more than 40C (104F).
The Foreign Office confirmed a "small number" of Chinook helicopters would also be sent for "further relief options".
End Quote Liam Fox Ex-defence secretaryThe idea that this is not our problem is wishful thinking at best"
A No 10 statement said it had also agreed to transport "critical military re-supplies" provided by other countries to Kurdish forces fighting IS militants.
The UK government had continually said operations in Iraq were to provide humanitarian help to refugees.
The Downing Street statement added: "We will continue with these deliveries."
"Meanwhile urgent planning to get those trapped on the mountainside to safety will continue in the coming days between ourselves and US, the Kurdish authorities and other partners," it added.
No 10 said the UK would also continue to "lead negotiations" on a UN Security Council Resolution that would make clear the "shared determination of the international community" to tackle the threat posed by IS.
Taban Sami Shoresh, a British Kurd helping with the relief efforts, told the BBC she had never seen so many people "scramble for survival" when an aid helicopter landed.
"All they wanted to do was get on the plane to be saved, and we could only take so much. It's horrific. It's heartbreaking to see," she said.
"There is a humanitarian crisis here and we desperately need the help from all directions," she said.
Speaking from Irbil in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, Ms Shoresh described how Mount Sinjar was "completely hemmed" by IS fighters.
Former Conservative defence secretary Liam Fox told The Mail the UK would need to join in with military action being conducted by the US.
He said: "The idea that this is not our problem is wishful thinking at best, and catastrophic complacency at worst. Yet in the face of all evidence there has been policy paralysis in the West."
He went on to describe IS as "our enemy" and said: "Either we use our military power to degrade and diminish their military capabilities, so that the countries in the region are able to deal with them effectively, or we can ensure that we supply our allies in the region with the equipment and knowledge they need to do the job themselves."
Colonel Tim Collins, who commanded British troops in Iraq, echoed Mr Fox's sentiments in The Daily Telegraph and accused the government of failing in its "moral obligation" to intervene.
He said: "In the next months ancient civilisations will be extinguished on our watch unless we act."
He described the ongoing aid drops as little more than "a pebble in the ocean".
However, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, speaking after a meeting of the government's emergency Cobra committee, said this military action was not necessary at the present time.
The first drop took place on Saturday, delivering 1,200 water containers and 240 solar lanterns.
On Monday, RAF crews dropped supplies including 9,000 five-litre water bottles, and 816 solar lamps that can also be used to charge mobile phones.
Supplies dropped overnight in Mount Sinjar, where most of those who have fled are trapped, included 2,640 reusable water purification containers filled with clean water and 528 shelter kits.
International Development Secretary Justine Greening also said that four organisations - Mercy Corps, Save the Children, the International Rescue Committee and Action Against Hunger - are to share the £3m earmarked by the British government for charities operating in Iraq.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
RAF jets set for Iraq aid mission
Dengan url
http://sarapanoatmeal.blogspot.com/2014/08/raf-jets-set-for-iraq-aid-mission.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
RAF jets set for Iraq aid mission
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
RAF jets set for Iraq aid mission
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar