US aircraft drop more food, water to displaced Iraqis

The U.S. military conducted a fourth airdrop of food and water on Sunday for thousands of Iraqis threatened by the Islamic State on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq, the U.S. Defense Department said on Monday.

This airdrop, conducted from multiple air bases in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, included one C-17 and three C-130 cargo aircraft that together dropped a total of 88 bundles of supplies. the department said in a statement.

U.S. fighter jets in the area supported the mission.

The C-17 dropped 40 container delivery system bundles of fresh drinking water totaling 3,804 gallons. The three C-130s dropped 48 bundles totaling 22,488 packaged meals and 590 gallons of fresh drinking water.

To date, in coordination with the Iraqi government, U.S. military aircraft have delivered more than 74,000 meals and more than 15,000 gallons of fresh drinking water, to displaced Yezidis seeking refuge from IS militants, the statement said.

Meanwhile, U.S. military forces continued to attack IS in Iraq on Sunday, conducting multiple airstrikes from a mix of fighters and drones to defend Kurdish forces near Erbil, where U.S. personnel are located.