British help
British Prime Minister David Cameron speaking about Britain's role in supporting the Kurdish forces against the Islamic State:
"I think the first thing is to deal with this desperate humanitarian situation with people who are exposed, starving, dying of thirst on this mountainside, getting them to a place of safety. Yes, of course we do support the Kurds and we should continue to support the Kurds, and in terms of the ammunition that they are getting Britain is going to be playing a role in helping to get that to them."
Iran 'most powerful external player' in Iraq
Hayder al-Khoei, an Iraq analyst at Chatham House, told Al Jazeera that the struggle for power in Iraq is far from over:
"Don't rule out Maliki yet. Politically he is finished, but he still controls elite security forces and a vast network inside the security and intelligence apparatus. If he wants to cause trouble, he can.”
Khoei also mentioned Iran’s significant role:
"Furthermore, even though the Americans, the [European Union] and the [United Nations] have come out with statements supporting Ibadi, Iran is the key actor because it is the most powerful external player in Iraq. They’ve been very quiet. They made crystal clear that the unity of the Shia bloc was a red line for them. Today it was crossed, and it remains to be seen how they will respond."
You can read the full story here.
Yazidi Supporters To Rally In Armenia, Georgia
RFE/RL's Georgian and Armenian services have a story about Yazidis organizing demonstrations in their respective countries.
Members and supporters of the Yazidi communities in Armenia and Georgia are due to rally in their respective capitals on August 13.
The demonstrators will express support for the thousands of Yazidis in Iraq, who were given an ultimatum by advancing Islamic State (IS) militants to convert to Islam, leave, or be killed.
Earlier, a Yazidi delegation met with Armenia's Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgian, who reiterated Yerevan's financial support for thousands of Yazidis stranded on Iraq's Sinjar Mountain.
Armenia has allocated $50,000 for humanitarian aid to be sent to the Yazidis, who fled IS attacks.
The delegation asked Yerevan to recognize IS attacks on the Iraqi Yazidi community as genocide and to grant visas to those Yazidis willing to seek asylum in Armenia.
Armenia is home to some 40,000 Yazidis, while neighboring Georgia has a nearly 20,000-strong Yazidi community.
Pope Makes Plea
Pope Francis has called on the international community to do all they can to stop the "systematic violence" and “humanitarian tragedy now under way" against ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq.
In a letter to UN chief Ban Ki-moon made public today, the pope said:
"I write to you, Mr Secretary General, and place before you the tears, the suffering and the heartfelt cries of despair of Christians and other religious minorities of the beloved land of Iraq.”