Iraq crisis: US says Mount Sinjar evacuation unlikely

The US says it is unlikely to launch a mission to evacuate Iraqis trapped by Islamist fighters on Mount Sinjar, the BBC reported.

A Special Forces team flew to the mountain and found fewer people than expected, and those remaining were also in a better condition than feared, the Pentagon said.

The US has sent hundreds of military advisers to Iraq to help people fleeing militant group Islamic State (IS).

IS fighters have seized large swathes of northern Iraq in recent months.

The UN had estimated that tens of thousands of people, most from religious minorities, were besieged on the mountain after being forced to flee their homes.

Members of the Yazidi sect are among those stranded on Mount Sinjar.

However, in a statement, the Pentagon said there were now "far fewer Yazidis on Mount Sinjar than previously feared", partly because thousands had evacuated from the mountain each night over the past days.

"The Yazidis who remain are in better condition than previously believed and continue to have access to the food and water that we have dropped," the statement said.

"Based on this assessment... an evacuation mission is far less likely."

The statement added that the US would continue to provide humanitarian assistance.

Wednesday's operation had been focused on assessing whether to try to evacuate those trapped on the mountain.

Earlier, the US had said it was considering airlifts and the creation of safe passages for fleeing civilians - but insisted no US ground forces would be in a combat role.