Iraq: Out of the desert into Mosul (closed)

[Firn]

Exodus from the mountain: Yazidis flood into Iraq following U.S. airstrikes

The attacks helped at least some of the Yazidis escape, said Zaim Hassan Harmouch, 66, who said the bombings destroyed the militant positions that had blocked their route out. He led his wife, six sons and seven grandchildren down from the mountain overnight, crossing the border into a Kurdish-held region of Syria and then back into northern Iraq.

“It was because of the planes that we could leave,” he said. “They opened the way.”

The level of IS brutality and it's scale are becoming worse and Maliki is not fiddling but going one step further to conserve his power.

On the military side I think nobody thinks that air strikes alone will stop IS, but maybe they can play an important part the package. With Maliki doing again his best to destroy his country to save himself the US seems to be more open to support a regional factor like the Kurds.