To date, the UK has provided £59.5m of humanitarian assistance across Iraq. This goes to people most in need, including those in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). We are providing funding for a Joint Crisis Centre (JCC) within the Kurdistan Regional Government as part of this support. The JCC works closely with the UN, the Government of Iraq (GOI) and the international community to provide life-saving coordination. The UK also supports Iraqi-led stabilisation activities to enable the safe return of displaced people to their homes.

Defence's initial involvement last summer was to deliver immediate aid in support of humanitarian objectives. The Royal Air Force dropped nearly 100 tonnes of humanitarian supplies, the majority to the besieged Yazidi community on Mount Sinjar.

Individual members of the Coalition retain responsibility for the actions of their own forces. All UK air strikes are conducted under UK rules of engagement, which have been agreed for this campaign in accordance with the law. Close observation, careful selection and approval of targets before a strike, and the use of precision weapons minimises collateral damage and the potential for civilian casualties. This is in stark contrast with ISIL's complete disregard for human life and for the consequences of their actions for civilians.