UK to increase aid drops in Iraq
The government has confirmed that the UK is to step up the number of aid drops into Iraq.
The UK's contribution includes £2.5m in support for the Red Cross, £3m of funding for charities and NGOs, and £2m of emergency supplies for those trapped on Mount Sinjar.
Last night a military aircraft carried out the first UK aid drop over the gulf state, dropping supplies including 1,200 reuseable water containers and 240 solar lanterns.
The increase in aid comes as thousands of members of the Yazidi minority fled to Mount Sinjar to escape the advance of the militants. No one is sure how many people are trapped on the mountain, but estimates range from 50,000 to 150,000.
Humanitarian advisors will also be sent to parts of Iraq suffering at the hands of Islamist militants and will be based in Irbil, in the Kurdistan region.
The aid announcement comes against the backdrop of US airstrikes on the Islamic State (formerly Isis) fighters who have captured land across Iraq and Syria, terrorising civilians who do not share its ideology.
The BBC has a map of the crisis here.