President Obama is considering a range of military options, including airlifts and creating safe passages, for rescuing thousands of Iraqi refugees trapped on a mountain, and is expected to make a decision in days, the White House said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the US assessment teams have returned from getting a first-hand look at the refugees atop Mt. Sinjar. Initial reports suggest there may not be as many thousands as feared.
In fact some pallets of food and water dropped to the civilians have not yet been opened. A U.S. military-led rescue mission on Sinjar Mountain could involve putting American troops on the ground.
But the White House insisted that their mission would be strictly a humanitarian rescue and would not constitute a return to combat 2 1/2 years after the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq.
ABC White House corresondent Ann Compton joined us with more:
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