U.S. military aircraft dropped a second air drop of humanitarian aid to Iraqis under threat from hard-line militants in northern Iraq for the second straight night, the Pentagon said Friday.
Three planes dropped 72 bundles of supplies for the refugees, Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon's spokesman, said from New Delhi. Included in the aid were more than 28,000 meals and more than 1,500 gallons of water. Members of the Yazidi religious minority have been trapped for days by Islamic State militants and fear they will be slaughtered if they leave the mountains.
"This airdrop was conducted from multiple airbases within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and as with last night, included one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together dropped a total of 72 bundles of supplies," the Pentagon said in a statement released late on Friday.
The cargo planes were accompanied by two F-18 fighter jets from the USS George H.W. Bush, a U.S. aircraft carrier positioned in the Gulf, it said. The supplies included U.S. military rations and drinking water. The Pentagon also released video of a Thursday-night drop.
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