Turkish incursions into northern Iraq were the subject of a closed-door meeting of the United Nations Security Council. At the meeting, the Iraqi Ambassador, Mohammad Ali Al Hakim, said that discussions with Turkey over the matter were positive.
Shi’ite militias, meanwhile, threatened those Turkish forces in northern Iraq. The militias, however, would have to redeploy troops to northern Iraq, while leaving other areas defenseless, so it is unlikely they will carry out their threats.
In Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Kurdish President Massoud Barzani. The pair did not issue any statements.
Turkish warplanes targeted suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (P.K.K.) camps in northern Iraq.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. Congress voted to directly arm the Kurds. The measure now goes on to the full House of Representatives for their vote.
Residents of Ramadi who have escaped or otherwise been able to communicate with the outside say the Islamic State militants are getting paranoid and nervous. But, the conditions for the civilians are becoming desperate as food and fuel run out. The militants are using civilians as human shields and will not let them leave.
The Iraqi government has sent fresh reinforcements to Ramadi in the hopes of wiping out the militants quickly. The U.S. government is also considering sending helicopters to help with the ongoing battle. In the meantime, 200 U.S. Special Forces members arrived at the nearby Ain al-Assad base this week.
At least 114 were killed and 20 were wounded in the violence:
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber killed 11 people and wounded 20 more at a mosque in Obeidi.
Airstrikes left 65 militants dead just north of Ramadi in Albu Dyab and Albu Faraj.
In the Qayara region, airstrikes killed 18 militants.
Eleven militants were killed in Husayba al-Sharqiya.
Airstrikes at the Ajil and Alas oilfields killed at least eight militants.
