CBS News – As an Iraqi helicopter landed on a barren mountaintop to deliver food and water, stranded members of the religious minority group Yazidis struggled to get on board.
There’s little wonder they’re desperate enough to mob the helicopter — fighting each other for the handful of seats on the aircraft. They’re stranded on the mountain in northwest Iraq, facing starvation.
The helicopter left with the people most in need, including dehydrated children. More than 50 children have already died on the mountain.
But they were lucky to get away safely. As a final goodbye, the militants opened fired on the helicopter.
ISIS has unleashed a wave of hatred and violence, seizing a swath of territory in northern Iraq.
They practice a strict form of Sunni Islam, and they’re targeting Iraqis from other religious groups.
A hall is now home to 200 Christian families who fled ISIS a week ago, but many people here told us they don’t want to go home or stay in Iraq. They’re frightened of the Islamic extremists and angry with Iraq’s leaders.
“The government did nothing to protect us, because we’re Christians,” Amal Jacob told us. “As Christians, we have no rights.”
