(CNN) -- The face of 15-year-old Aziza says it all.
Her mouth slightly agape,
tears stream down her face as she glances around the inside of a
helicopter with confusion in her eyes.
She looks completely exhausted, overcome with emotion. She cries the whole flight to safety.
The Iraqi air force and
fighters with the Kurdish peshmerga carried out a dramatic rescue
mission Monday at Mount Sinjar, taking supplies to desperate Yazidis and
ferrying a handful of people out, including Aziza.
A CNN crew was on the
flight that took diapers, milk, water and food to the site where
thousands of people have been driven by ISIS, which calls itself the
Islamic State.
CNN's Ivan Watson, who was on the chopper, described the mission as "heroic."
Teams hurled out bags and boxes of food from as high as 50 feet before approaching the ground.
"We landed on several
short occasions, and that's where -- amid this explosion of dust and
chaos -- these desperate civilians came racing towards the helicopter,
throwing their children on board the aircraft. The crew was just trying
to pull up as many people as possible," Watson said.
Soon, some of the
trapped families -- including babies and the elderly -- were packed into
the flight. A man held a water bottle for a woman trying drink, her
head propped up on his shoulder.
Others didn't make it and were left behind as the helicopter pulled away.
An Iraqi
gunner opens fire at possible ISIS targets during a rescue operation by
the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters on Monday, August
11. The dramatic operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar involved taking
supplies to desperate Yazidis and even bringing some aboard a helicopter
to make it safely out of the area.
"It was chaotic. It was crazy, but we were able to then lift off with about 20 civilians," Watson said.
Iraq's Yazidis trapped, hiding from ISIS in the mountains
Kurdish official warns of genocide
CNN could not independently confirm those estimates.
Who are the religious and ethnic groups under threat from ISIS?
'They flew in shooting; they flew out shooting'
Iraq's Yazidis trapped, hiding from ISIS in the mountains
Kurdish official warns of genocide
Yazidis, among Iraq's
smallest minorities, are of Kurdish descent, and their religion is
considered a pre-Islamic sect that draws from Christianity, Judaism and
Zoroastrianism.
One of the oldest
religious communities in the world, they have long suffered persecution,
with many Muslims referring to them as devil worshippers.
More than a week ago, they fled into the surrounding mountains when ISIS fighters stormed the town of Sinjar.
Now, trapped without food, water or medical care in the summer heat, thousands of families are in desperate need of help.
A senior Kurdish official warned Monday of the potential of genocide against the Yazidi people.
Speaking to CNN's
Watson, Fazil Mirani repeatedly called for a humanitarian intervention.
He estimated that as many as 70,000 people remain trapped on Mount
Sinjar, and that at least 100 people have died so far from dehydration
and the heat.
CNN could not independently confirm those estimates.
Who are the religious and ethnic groups under threat from ISIS?
'They flew in shooting; they flew out shooting'
The United States on
Monday conducted airstrikes on four ISIS checkpoints and "multiple" ISIS
vehicles near Mount Sinjar, according to U.S. Central Command.
"Our aircraft remain
positioned to strike any terrorist forces around the mountain who
threaten the safety of these families," President Barack Obama said the
same day. "We're working with international partners to develop options
to bring them to safety."
Back on the helicopter, the relief of those already rescued was palpable.
The crowd on board burst
into tears as the chopper took off. Young and old, women and men,
civilians and servicemen -- all cried with the intensity of the moment.
Gunners had to open fire at the ground in order to make it away from ISIS.
"They flew in shooting; they flew out shooting," Watson reported.
"There was not a dry eye on the aircraft."
Who are the Yazidis? Why does ISIS want to kill them?
CNN's Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report.
Yazidis rescued from ISIS
An
Iraqi gunner opens fire at possible ISIS targets during a rescue
operation by the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters on
Monday, August 11. The dramatic operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar
involved taking supplies to desperate Yazidis and even bringing some
aboard a helicopter to make it safely out of the area.
A
CNN crew was on the flight, which took diapers, milk, water and food to
the site. Thousands of people have been fleeing from the militant group
ISIS, which has taken over large swaths of northern and western Iraq as
it seeks to create an Islamic caliphate that stretches from Syria into
Iraq.
A
couple dozen civilians were rescued during the operation. CNN's Ivan
Watson, who was on the chopper, described the mission as "heroic."
A
couple dozen civilians were rescued during the operation. CNN's Ivan
Watson, who was on the chopper, described the mission as "heroic."
An elderly woman is put on the helicopter.
Yazidi people sit on the aircraft with members of the CNN crew.
An elderly Yazidi man cries after he was rescued.
A toddler named Helen sits in her mother's lap after being rescued.
Rescued civilians sit on the helicopter.
Yazidi people arrive safely to the Kurdish territory.Rescued civilians sit on the helicopter.
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