Tonight, the U.S. military conducted another successful airdrop of food and water for thousands of Iraqi citizens threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Mount Sinjar, Iraq, Defense Department officials said.
This airdrop was conducted from multiple air bases in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and included one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together dropped a total of 72 bundles of supplies. The cargo aircraft were escorted by two F/A-18s from the USS George H.W. Bush, officials said.
The C-17 dropped 40 container delivery system bundles of packaged meals, complemented by a C-130 loaded with an additional 16 bundles totaling 28,224 meals. In addition, one C-130 dropped 16 bundles totaling 1,522 gallons of fresh drinking water.
To date, in coordination with the Iraqi government, U.S. military aircraft have delivered 36,224 meals and 6,822 gallons of fresh drinking water, providing much-needed aid to Iraqis who urgently require emergency assistance, DoD officials said.
The United States military will continue to work with the State Department and with international partners, including the Iraqi government, the United Nations,and nongovernmental organizations to assess the need for additional humanitarian operations in Iraq going forward, officials said.
Â