Royal Australian Air Force C-130J Hercules aircraft have undertaken multiple humanitarian aid airdrops during the past week to support displaced civilians on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq.
Four airdrop missions have delivered more than 32 tonnes of humanitarian aid stores including water, tents and blankets to the beleaguered Iraqi civilians who will face harsh winter temperatures in the coming months.
The sorties were conducted between Thursday, 20 November and Sunday, 23 November 2014 (Iraq time) using Iraqi-supplied stores prepared by coalition forces at Erbil airbase in northern Iraq.
Commander of Australia’s Joint Task Force Headquarters in the Middle East Major General Craig Orme said Australian forces were ready to contribute to any further humanitarian aid missions, particularly in the lead-up to winter.
“These airdrops will help support local Iraqis and are a result of careful planning by the taskforce and our coalition partners,” Major General Orme said.
Australia’s contribution in Iraq continues to be coordinated with the Iraqi Government, regional countries and international partners.
Operation OKRA is the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to the international effort to combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) terrorist threat in Iraq.