The United States launched a second round of bombings in northern Iraq on August 8. Earlier on Augus 7, the US jet fighters bombed areas close to the Kurdish town of Erbil.
The US government has said they would be limited to a defensive response, but with the second round, the bombings appears to have intensified.
The US military is using an armed drone and four warplanes to bomb artillery positions and a vehicle convoy near the beleaguered city of Irbil, the Pentagon said.
Concerns have been raised over the strategic Mosul Dam, which was taken over yesterday by Islamic State forces. If damaged, water from the dam could submerge the city of Mosul and flood the city of Bagdad.
The humanitarian crisis on the ground has intensified with the announcement of the bombings. The United Nations said that more than 1 million people are displaced, fleeing the violence.
The UN is working with Turkey in an effort to open a humanitarian corridor to allow fleeing Iraqis enter the neighboring country. It also seeks to provide food and supplies.
Turkey shares a 331 km border with the north of Iraq, and Ankara has expressed concer over the possibility of the violence spreading.
[Reprinted from teleSUR English.]
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