A new batch of America military "advisers" has arrived in northern Iraq to help the Kurdish authorities deal with the Sunni militant insurgency in the region.
US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel says the "advisors" will be tasked with helping Kurdish officials deal with the humanitarian situation.
In making the announcement, Hagel continues to insist the additional "advisors" are not there for combat.
"We're not going back into Iraq, in any of the same combat mission dimensions that we once were in in Iraq. Very specifically this is not a combat boots on the ground operation. We're not going to have that kind of operation."
Thousands of Iraqis have been trapped inside areas controlled by the so-called Islamic State.
Many of them are being threatened with death unless they convert to Islam, and have been trying to flee into Iraqi Kurdistan.
As such, the European Union has now given the green-light for its member-states to supply arms to the Kurds in coordination with Baghdad.
Meanwhile, its being reported a suicide bomber attacked a checkpoint near the Baghdad home of new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
So far no casualties have been reported.
Iraq's new president asked Abadi to form a new cabinet on Monday, snubbing incumbent Prime Minister Nouri Maliki.
For his part, Maliki says he's met with senior security officials, urging them "not to interfere in the political crisis."
