After a Wednesday of signals that the US and Britain were stepping up intervention in Iraqi Kurdistan, sending in special forces, Washington abruptly put on the brakes last night.

The Pentagon said a mission to evacuate 20,000 to 30,000 Iraqis trapped on Mount Sinjar by the Islamic State advance is far less likely after a US assessment team found the humanitarian situation was not as bad as feared.

Earlier this week, the US confirmed that it had sent 130 additional Marines and special forces to the Iraqi Kurdistan capital Erbil. Subsequent reports indicated that the US special forces were on Mount Sinjar, as were a “handful” of British SAS troops.

Ostensibly, the special forces were collecting intelligence to assist the evacuation, but EA sources said they could also be serving as spotters for anticipated strikes on Islamic State positions.

The US military and humanitarian aid personnel flew to the mountain under cover of darkness to assess the situation of the refugees, mainly members of the Yazidi community who fled from Sinjar city and nearby villages.

The Pentagon said the team found far fewer people, who were in better condition, than expected: “Based on this assessment, an evacuation mission is far less likely.”

The US military said the situation had been improved by airdrops of food and water, airstrikes on the Islamic State targets, efforts of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, and the ability of thousands of Yazidis to leave the mountain in recent nights.

A well-placed EA source offers a different explanation based on two important issues.

First, any aerial evacuation mission would have to contend with Islamic State forces, and thus fire from the ground, near the mountain. Clearing those forces would require not only airstrikes but also action on land, as the jihadists have taken up positions sheltered from air attacks, in some cases amid civilians.

Second, the prime mission of the US intervention — safeguarding Erbil — appears to have been achieved, with the Islamic State’s move towards the Kurdish capital checked.

(Featured Photo: Iraqi refugees on Mount Sinjar — AFP/Getty)