Story highlights About 130 military U.S. advisers are being dispatched to Iraq, officials say 
 
 The advisers will be made up of Marines and special operations forces 
 
 "This is not a combat boots on the ground operation," defense secretary says 
 
 Residents in Baghdad riot following car bomb explosion, police officials say 
 
 The United States is sending more troops to northern Iraq, a move that U.S. officials told CNN on Tuesday is necessary to help in the rescue of tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped in the mountains by extremists who have vowed to kill them. 
 
 About 130 Marines and special operations forces have been dispatched to Irbil, U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said, adding to the hundreds already in the country advising Iraqi troops in their fight against the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. 
 
 "Very specifically, this is not a combat boots on the ground operation. We are not going to have that kind of operation," Hagel said during an address at Camp Pendleton, a Marine base in California. 
 
 "But short of that, there are some things we can continue to do and we are doing." 
 
 Word of the additional American support came as embattled Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered his troops to stay out of the political battle being waged in Baghdad, where he has vowed to hold on to power. 
 
 Al-Maliki has vowed to fight the nomination of Haider al-Abadi, a man who has the support of the United States and Iran. The new Prime Minister-designate is the deputy speaker of the Iraqi Parliament and a former aide to al-Maliki. 
 
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 The United States hopes the designate will form a government quickly and build a united front against ISIS rebels, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said. 
 
 Helicopter crashes during Yazidi rescue 
 
 The political turmoil has been playing out against the backdrop of a growing humanitarian crisis, with hundreds of thousands of Iraq's minority ethnic and religious minorities -- Yazidis, Christians, Kurds and others -- fleeing ISIS fighters. 
 
 Nowhere is the crisis more evident than the Sinjar Mountains, where an estimated 40,000 minority Yazidis are hiding from the Sunni extremist fighters after fleeing their homes. 
 
 Yazidis are considered one of the world's smallest and oldest monotheistic religious minorities, a pre-Islamic sect based in Zoroastrianism that draws from Hinduism, Christianity and Judaism. 
 
 An Iraqi helicopter bringing aid to the group crashed after making its food and water drop and picking up roughly two dozen Yazidis. 
 
 The pilot died in the crash, but others survived, the Kurdistan Regional Government said. Kurdish rescue crews transported them to safety, bringing the injured to hospitals, the government said. 
 
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 The military cited "technical failure" in the crash of the MI-17. Fuad Hussein, the Kurdish Regional Government's chief of staff, told CNN the crash appeared to have been caused by pilot error. 
 
 Survivors included a woman who has come to symbolize the struggles of Yazidis. Vian Dakhil, the only Yazidi in Parliament, made a heart-wrenching appeal to the Iraqi government last week for help in stopping the slaughter of her people. 
 
 New York Times journalist Alissa Rubin suffered "a concussion, at least one broken wrist and possibly some broken ribs but was conscious," The Times reported. Freelance photographer Adam Ferguson "said via cellphone text that he suffered a sore jaw and some minor bumps," the newspaper reported. 
 
 Three helicopters are being used by the Iraqi military to reach the desperate Yazidi families who fled to the mountains more than a week ago, Hussein said. 
 
 Yazidi plight 
 
 The plight of the Yazidis, coupled with the ISIS assault against Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, prompted the United States to begin targeted airstrikes against ISIS. 
 
 Airstrikes in northern Iraq have helped Iraqi troops and the Kurdish fighting force, known as the peshmerga, to carry out the missions. 
 
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 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Yemenis check the scene of a car bomb attack Sunday, December 6, in Aden, Yemen. Aden Gov. Jaafar Saad and six bodyguards died in the attack , for which the terror group ISIS claimed responsibility. Hide Caption 1 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Investigators check the scene of a mosque attack Friday, November 27, in northern Bangladesh's Bogra district. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack that left at least one person dead and three more wounded. Hide Caption 2 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Wounded people are helped outside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris following a series of coordinated attacks in the city on Friday, November 13. The militant group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, which killed at least 130 people and wounded hundreds more. Hide Caption 3 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Emergency personnel and civilians gather at the site of a twin suicide bombing in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday, November 12. The bombings killed at least 43 people and wounded more than 200 more. ISIS appeared to claim responsibility in a statement posted on social media. Hide Caption 4 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Smoke rises over the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar on November 12. Kurdish Iraqi fighters, backed by a U.S.-led air campaign, retook the strategic town, which ISIS militants overran last year. ISIS wants to create an Islamic state across Sunni areas of Iraq and Syria. Hide Caption 5 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Syrian government troops walk inside the Kweiras air base on Wednesday, November 11, after they broke a siege imposed by ISIS militants. Hide Caption 6 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Members of the Egyptian military approach the wreckage of a Russian passenger plane Sunday, November 1, in Hassana, Egypt. The plane crashed the day before, killing all 224 people on board. ISIS claimed responsibility for downing the plane, but the group's claim wasn't immediately verified. Hide Caption 7 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat An explosion rocks Kobani, Syria, during a reported car bomb attack by ISIS militants on Tuesday, October 20. Hide Caption 8 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Shiite fighters, fighting alongside Iraqi government forces, fire a rocket at ISIS militants as they advance toward the center of Baiji, Iraq, on Monday, October 19. Hide Caption 9 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Smoke rises above a damaged building in Ramadi, Iraq, following a coalition airstrike against ISIS positions on Saturday, August 15. Hide Caption 10 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi men look at damage following a bomb explosion that targeted a vegetable market in Baghdad on Thursday, August 13. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. Hide Caption 11 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat In this image taken from social media, an ISIS fighter holds the group's flag after the militant group overran the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn on Thursday, August 6, the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported. Hide Caption 12 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat An ISIS fighter poses with spoils purportedly taken after capturing the Syrian town of al-Qaryatayn. Hide Caption 13 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Smoke rises as Iraqi security forces bomb ISIS positions in the eastern suburbs of Ramadi, Iraq, on August 6. Hide Caption 14 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Buildings reduced to piles of debris can be seen in the eastern suburbs of Ramadi on August 6. Hide Caption 15 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat The governor of the Asir region in Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Khaled bin Abdulaziz, left, visits a man who was wounded in a suicide bombing attack on a mosque in Abha, Saudi Arabia, on August 6. ISIS claimed responsibility for the explosion, which killed at least 13 people and injured nine others. Hide Caption 16 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Saudi officials and investigators check the inside of the mosque on August 6. Hide Caption 17 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Mourners in Gaziantep, Turkey, grieve over a coffin Tuesday, July 21, during a funeral ceremony for the victims of a suspected ISIS suicide bomb attack. That bombing killed at least 31 people in Suruc, a Turkish town that borders Syria. Turkish authorities blamed ISIS for the attack. Hide Caption 18 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Protesters in Istanbul carry anti-ISIS banners and flags to show support for victims of the Suruc suicide blast during a demonstration on Monday, July 20. Hide Caption 19 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat People in Ashmoun, Egypt, carry the coffin for 1st Lt. Mohammed Ashraf, who was killed when the ISIS militant group attacked Egyptian military checkpoints on Wednesday, July 1. At least 17 soldiers were reportedly killed, and 30 were injured. Hide Caption 20 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Syrians wait near the Turkish border during clashes between ISIS and Kurdish armed groups in Kobani, Syria, on Thursday, June 25. The photo was taken in Sanliurfa, Turkey. ISIS militants disguised as Kurdish security forces infiltrated Kobani on Thursday and killed "many civilians," said a spokesman for the Kurds in Kobani. Hide Caption 21 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Residents examine a damaged mosque after an Iraqi Air Force bombing in the ISIS-seized city of Falluja, Iraq, on Sunday, May 31. At least six were killed and nine others wounded during the bombing. Hide Caption 22 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat People search through debris after an explosion at a Shiite mosque in Qatif, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, May 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, according to tweets from ISIS supporters, which included a formal statement from ISIS detailing the operation. Hide Caption 23 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi soldiers fire their weapons toward ISIS group positions in the Garma district, west of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, on Sunday, April 26. Pro-government forces said they had recently made advances on areas held by Islamist jihadists. Hide Caption 24 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A member of Afghanistan's security forces stands at the site where a suicide bomber on a motorbike blew himself up in front of the Kabul Bank in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, on Saturday, April 18. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. The explosion killed at least 33 people and injured more than 100 others, a public health spokesman said. Hide Caption 25 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi counterterrorism forces patrol in Ramadi on April 18. Hide Caption 26 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Thousands of Iraqis cross a bridge over the Euphrates River to Baghdad as they flee Ramadi on Friday, April 17. Hide Caption 27 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Yazidis embrace after being released by ISIS south of Kirkuk, Iraq, on Wednesday, April 8. ISIS released more than 200 Yazidis , a minority group whose members were killed, captured and displaced when the Islamist terror organization overtook their towns in northern Iraq last summer, officials said. Hide Caption 28 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Kurdish Peshmerga forces help Yazidis as they arrive at a medical center in Altun Kupri, Iraq, on April 8. Hide Caption 29 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Yazidi woman mourns for the death of her husband and children by ISIS after being released south of Kirkuk on April 8. Hide Caption 30 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat People in Tikrit inspect what used to be a palace of former President Saddam Hussein on April 3. Hide Caption 31 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat On April 1, Shiite militiamen celebrate the retaking of Tikrit, which had been under ISIS control since June. The push into Tikrit came days after U.S.-led airstrikes targeted ISIS bases around the city. Hide Caption 32 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi security forces launch a rocket against ISIS positions in Tikrit on Monday, March 30. Hide Caption 33 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat The parents of 19-year-old Mohammed Musallam react at the family's home in the East Jerusalem Jewish settlement of Neve Yaakov on Tuesday, March 10. ISIS released a video purportedly showing a young boy executing Musallam, an Israeli citizen of Palestinian descent who ISIS claimed infiltrated the group in Syria to spy for the Jewish state. Musallam's family told CNN that he had no ties with the Mossad, Israel's spy agency, and had, in fact, been recruited by ISIS. Hide Caption 34 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi Shiite fighters cover their ears as a rocket is launched during a clash with ISIS militants in the town of Al-Alam, Iraq, on Monday, March 9. Hide Caption 35 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Displaced Assyrian women who fled their homes due to ISIS attacks pray at a church on the outskirts of Damascus, Syria, on Sunday, March 1. ISIS militants abducted at least 220 Assyrians in Syria. Hide Caption 36 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Safi al-Kasasbeh, right, receives condolences from tribal leaders at his home village near Karak, Jordan, on Wednesday, February 4. Al-Kasasbeh's son, Jordanian pilot Moath al-Kasasbeh, was burned alive in a video that was recently released by ISIS militants. Jordan is one of a handful of Middle Eastern nations taking part in the U.S.-led military coalition against ISIS. Hide Caption 37 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Kurdish marksman looks over a destroyed area of Kobani on Friday, January 30, after the city had been liberated from the ISIS militant group. The Syrian city, also known as Ayn al-Arab, had been under assault by ISIS since mid-September. Hide Caption 38 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Kurdish people celebrate in Suruc, Turkey, near the Turkish-Syrian border, after ISIS militants were expelled from Kobani on Tuesday, January 27. Hide Caption 39 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Collapsed buildings are seen in Kobani on January 27 after Kurdish forces took control of the town from ISIS. Hide Caption 40 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Junko Ishido, mother of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, reacts during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday, January 23. ISIS would later kill Goto and another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa. Hide Caption 41 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat ISIS militants are seen through a rifle's scope during clashes with Peshmerga fighters in Mosul, Iraq, on Wednesday, January 21. Hide Caption 42 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat An elderly Yazidi man arrives in Kirkuk after being released by ISIS on Saturday, January 17. The militant group released about 200 Yazidis who were held captive for five months in Iraq. Almost all of the freed prisoners were in poor health and bore signs of abuse and neglect, Kurdish officials said. Hide Caption 43 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Smoke billows behind an ISIS sign during an Iraqi military operation to regain control of the town of Sadiyah, about 95 kilometers (60 miles) north of Baghdad, on Tuesday, November 25. Hide Caption 44 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Fighters from the Free Syrian Army and the Kurdish People's Protection Units join forces to fight ISIS in Kobani on Wednesday, November 19. Hide Caption 45 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A picture taken from Turkey shows smoke rising after ISIS militants fired mortar shells toward an area controlled by Syrian Kurdish fighters near Kobani on Monday, November 3. Hide Caption 46 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Iraqi special forces search a house in Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraq, on Thursday, October 30, after retaking the area from ISIS. Hide Caption 47 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat ISIS militants stand near the site of an airstrike near the Turkey-Syria border on Thursday, October 23. The United States and several Arab nations have been bombing ISIS targets in Syria to take out the militant group's ability to command, train and resupply its fighters. Hide Caption 48 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Kurdish fighters walk to positions as they combat ISIS forces in Kobani on Sunday, October 19. Hide Caption 49 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Heavy smoke rises in Kobani following an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition on October 18. Hide Caption 50 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Cundi Minaz, a female Kurdish fighter, is buried in a cemetery in the southeastern Turkish town of Suruc on Tuesday, October 14. Minaz was reportedly killed during clashes with ISIS militants in nearby Kobani. Hide Caption 51 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Kiymet Ergun, a Syrian Kurd, celebrates in Mursitpinar, Turkey, after an airstrike by the U.S.-led coalition in Kobani on Monday, October 13. Hide Caption 52 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Alleged ISIS militants stand next to an ISIS flag atop a hill in Kobani on Monday, October 6. Hide Caption 53 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Kurdish Peshmerga soldier who was wounded in a battle with ISIS is wheeled to the Zakho Emergency Hospital in Duhuk, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 30. Hide Caption 54 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Syrian Kurds wait near a border crossing in Suruc as they wait to return to their homes in Kobani on Sunday, September 28. Hide Caption 55 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A elderly man is carried after crossing the Syria-Turkey border near Suruc on Saturday, September 20. Hide Caption 56 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Kurdish Peshmerga fighter launches mortar shells toward ISIS militants in Zumar, Iraq, on Monday, September 15. Hide Caption 57 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire at ISIS militant positions from their position on the top of Mount Zardak, east of Mosul, Iraq, on Tuesday, September 9. Hide Caption 58 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Displaced Iraqis receive clothes from a charity at a refugee camp near Feeshkhabour, Iraq, on Tuesday, August 19. Hide Caption 59 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Aziza Hamid, a 15-year-old Iraqi girl, cries for her father while she and some other Yazidi people are flown to safety Monday, August 11, after a dramatic rescue operation at Iraq's Mount Sinjar. A CNN crew was on the flight, which took diapers, milk, water and food to the site where as many as 70,000 people were trapped by ISIS. But only a few of them were able to fly back on the helicopter with the Iraqi Air Force and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. Hide Caption 60 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Thousands of Yazidis are escorted to safety by Kurdish Peshmerga forces and a People's Protection Unit in Mosul on Saturday, August 9. Hide Caption 61 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Thousands of Yazidi and Christian people flee Mosul on Wednesday, August 6, after the latest wave of ISIS advances. Hide Caption 62 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Baiji oil refinery burns after an alleged ISIS attack in northern Selahaddin, Iraq, on Thursday, July 31. Hide Caption 63 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat A Syrian rebel fighter lies on a stretcher at a makeshift hospital in Douma, Syria, on Wednesday, July 9. He was reportedly injured while fighting ISIS militants. Hide Caption 64 of 65 65 photos: The ISIS terror threat Children stand next to a burnt vehicle during clashes between Iraqi security forces and ISIS militants in Mosul on Tuesday, June 10. Hide Caption 65 of 65 
 
 Until recently, the Kurdish region as considered the most stable in Iraq. The Kurds gained semiautonomous rule after the Iraq War. 
 
 The deployment of more U.S. military advisers to northern Iraq comes as the Obama administration is looking to boost the capabilities of Kurdish forces. 
 
 On Tuesday, the U.S. military carried out airstrikes against ISIS mortar positions north of Sinjar, the military's Central Command said. ISIS had been firing on Kurdish forces that were defending Yazidis who were trying to flee the area, Central Command said. 
 
 "ISIS has all sorts of sophisticated weapons," Hussein said. 
 
 ISIS, previously known as al Qaeda in Iraq, seized a large number of U.S.-made weapons and vehicles after Iraqi military units in Iraq's second largest city of Mosul abandoned their posts and fled ahead of the militant advance. 
 
 The group has tanks, armored vehicles, artillery and more, Hussein said. 
 
 "We need either the same kinds of weapons, or more sophisticated weapons, so that we can beat ISIS," he said. 
 
 READ: 'Heroic' mission rescues desperate Yazidis from ISIS 
 
 Treacherous journey for Yazidis 
 
 If the United States participates in the evacuation of the Yazidis, it may have to work with a group it designated a terrorist organization -- the PKK, also known as Kurdistan Workers Party. The PKK launched a guerrilla war against neighboring Turkey nearly 30 years ago, with an initial goal of establishing an independent Kurdish state. 
 
 Hundreds of Yazidis managed to make it on foot down from Mount Sinjar, northward into Syria, in a region controlled by Kurds. 
 
 They managed to trek along the border to a crossing point back into Iraq, where a CNN crew saw a number of them arrive Tuesday. 
 
 "If you're running for your life, you'll do it. You have no other choice," one elderly man told CNN in describing how he made it with his wife, children and grandchildren. 
 
 A number of those who made the treacherous trek off the mountain told CNN that PKK fighters control parts of the mountain, and they fed and protected them from ISIS. 
 
 Aid organizations and representatives of the Kurdistan regional government met some of the arrivals with sandwiches and bottles of water. 
 
 A U.N. affiliate had buses transporting some people into town. But most of those arriving will have to figure out where to go on their own -- and some told CNN they planned to camp out along the river at the crossing point into Iraq. 
 
 While a humanitarian crisis played out in northern Iraq, a series of car bombs ripped through Baghdad. 
 
 At least 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in two car bombings, including one near a hospital in the city's Karrada district. 
 
 Dozens of angry residents took to the streets following the bombing, blaming Iraqi security forces for not doing enough to protect them, police officials told CNN. 
 
 The residents chased the security forces, who withdrew from the area, and then they tore down a security checkpoint, officials said. 
 
 READ: Who are the Yazidis? Why does ISIS want to kill them? 
 
 READ: 'A catastrophe': Yazidi survivor recalls horror of evading ISIS ||||| Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "People are doing what they can to offer aid", Times journalist Sara Williams who is eight kilometres from the IS frontline 
 
 A British military aircraft has made the first drop of UK aid in Iraq. 
 
 The Ministry of Defence said the plane had carried out its mission overnight. 
 
 The focus of the aid effort is on helping thousands of members of the Yazidi religious minority, who are trapped on a mountain in northern Iraq after fleeing from Islamist militants. 
 
 Downing Street said the humanitarian situation in Iraq remained "deeply worrying" and said it planned to step up aid drops in the coming days. 
 
 Parallel to the aid effort, US planes have been carrying out air strikes against the militants. 
 
 The US military said it had destroyed vehicles and equipment of the Islamic State (IS), which has been attacking Yazidi areas. 
 
 The militant Islamist group, formerly known as Isis or Isil, has seized swathes of territory across Iraq and Syria in the past few months and has threatened Iraqi minority groups. 
 
 'Appalling conditions' 
 
 Two British C130 cargo planes are delivering the aid to those who have fled from IS's advance. 
 
 Defence officials said one plane had dropped supplies that included reusable water filtration containers, tents and solar lights that doubled as mobile phone chargers. 
 
 International Development Secretary Justine Greening said: "The world has been shocked by the plight of the Yazidi community. They face appalling conditions, cut off on Mount Sinjar after fleeing persecution. 
 
 "The UK has acted swiftly to get life-saving help to those affected." 
 
 The US, France and the UN are also taking part in the international aid effort. 
 
 Estimates for the number of people trapped on Mount Sinjar range from 50,000 to 150,000. 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption The upper slopes of Mount Sinjar provide little shelter for those displaced (picture from 2005) 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption The Yazidi community has been fleeing persecution, said Justine Greening 
 
 The UK aid contribution for those displaced in Iraq is worth £13m in total. It includes: 
 
 £2m of emergency supplies for 75,000 people, which includes the aid being dropped on Mount Sinjar 
 
 £3m of fast-tracked funding for charities and NGOs already operating in Iraq 
 
 £2.5m of support for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to provide immediate medical help 
 
 and £500,000 to help coordinate relief efforts between the UN and the Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq. 
 
 Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has said the aid effort is likely to continue "for the foreseeable future" until a way is found to get those sheltering on Mount Sinjar to safety. 
 
 The government says any long-term solution must involve the formation of a more inclusive Iraqi government, uniting all the country's ethnic and religious groups. 
 
 Image copyright Getty Images 
 
 Who are the Yazidis?
– Another 130 Marines and special operations forces have been sent to Iraq to help rescue tens of thousands of Yazidi refugees still trapped on a mountain, but this "is not a combat boots on the ground kind of operation," Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says. Speaking at California's Camp Pendleton, he described the extra American troops now in the northern city of Irbil as "assessment team members" who will assist the effort to help members of the Yazidi minority threatened by Islamic State extremists. A helicopter bringing supplies to people trapped on Mount Sinjar crashed yesterday after too many refugees climbed on board. More: As the plight of the refugees becomes increasingly desperate, American officials say a ground force may be necessary to get the refugees off the mountain, the New York Times reports. John Kerry says the 130 advisers will be tasked with finding a safe way out. "We will make a very rapid and critical assessment because we understand it is urgent to try to move those people off the mountain," he told reporters today. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, appears to have given up on trying to cling to power at any cost, the New York Times notes. He has told troops deployed in Baghdad not to intervene in the crisis—and officials say the military has told Maliki he no longer has their support. Insiders say discussions on Maliki stepping down are now focused on immunity from prosecution. New Iraqi President Fouad Massoum has chosen deputy parliament speaker Haider al-Ibadi as Maliki's replacement. France is sending arms in "coming hours" to Kurds fighting the Islamic State in a situation it calls "catastrophic," reports the AP. The move comes with Baghdad's blessing. Across the border in Syria, Islamic State militants have made fresh gains, reports the AP. Opposition activists say fighters have seized two key towns near the Turkish border after clashes with other rebel groups.