News outlets report on developments on the humanitarian crisis and military action in Iraq.

Agence France-Presse: Pope calls for U.N. rather than U.S. action in Iraq
“Pope Francis called Monday for collective action through the United Nations to ‘stop unjust aggression’ in Iraq, in an implicit criticism of unilateral U.S. air strikes there…” (Kadri/de la Vaissiere, 8/18).

Associated Press: U.N. undertakes polio vaccination campaign in Iraq
“The United Nations said Monday it was undertaking a mass polio vaccination campaign in Iraq, hoping to reach millions of children as the highly contagious virus crosses from Syria into neighboring countries…” (Janssen/Hadid, 8/18).

The Guardian: Iraq crisis: U.S. and Britain call off rescue of Yazidis on Mount Sinjar
“The U.S. and Britain are stepping back from launching a risky military mission to rescue thousands of Iraqis stranded on Mount Sinjar after claiming that special forces on the ground found their condition was better than expected…” (Ackerman/Watt, 8/14).

New York Times: U.S. Pulls Back on Plans for a Mountain Rescue
“…The team had found that there were not tens of thousands of Yazidis on the mountain anymore, only between 4,000 and 5,000. They were no longer starving; many pallets of food and water dropped by the American planes remained unopened…” (Cooper et al., 8/14).

New York Times: Despite U.S. Claims, Yazidis Say Crisis Is Not Over
“Yazidi leaders and emergency relief officials on Thursday strongly disputed American claims that the siege of Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq had been broken and that the crisis was effectively over, saying that tens of thousands of Yazidis remained on the mountain in desperate conditions…” (Nordland, 8/14).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. declares Iraq ‘Level 3 Emergency’ to trigger more resources, speed up aid delivery
“The United Nations has designated its highest level emergency for the humanitarian crisis in Iraq, citing the scale and complexity of the situation, which is impacting tens of thousands of people that have been forcibly displaced by the armed group, Islamic State (IS)…” (8/14).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. humanitarian agencies scaling up efforts as Iraq’s displacement crisis deepens
“Amidst an expanding displacement crisis in Iraq, several United Nations humanitarian organizations are scaling up efforts to get food and water to people fleeing attacks by the Islamic State (IS)…” (8/18).