CNN senior international correspondent Ivan Watson accompanied an Iraqi Air Force helicopter emergency aid delivery in northern Iraq today. Two Kurdish Peshmerga machine gunners began opening fire on suspected targets as they flew over ISIS positions toward Mt. Sinjar where Iraqi Yazidis remain trapped.
Watson told Wolf Blitzer that as they approached, they could see the Yazidi waving makeshift white flags. Once the aircraft landed, dozens of them rushed toward the chopper. But they weren’t after the diapers, condensed milk, water, shoes and food on board. Instead, they began throwing themselves into the helicopter. In all, about 20 civilians were rescued.
“I’ve been doing this job for more than 10 years, Watson told Blitzer. “I have never seen a situation as desperate as this, as emotionally charged as this, and I’ve never seen a rescue mission as ad hoc and improvised as this.”
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