An American drone strike took out a firing position that Islamic militants used to target Kurdish forces in northern Iraq, according to the U.S. military. The military said in a statement that a U.S. drone struck and destroyed an ISIS mortar position at around 7:55 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The mortar position was firing on Kurdish forces defending members of the Iraq's Yazidi religious minority who were trying to evacuate the area, U.S. Central command added.
Thousands of Yazidi - a sect closely allied with the Kurds - remain trapped on Mount Sinjar in Iraq. ISIS has threatened them with execution if they do not convert to Islam. The U.S. authorized airstrikes on ISIS targets last week to protect civilians, American interests in the region and to support outgunned Kurdish forces in their battle against ISIS.
IN-DEPTH
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