Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- A mass evacuation of Yazidis hiding from extremist fighters on Iraq's Sinjar Mountains is unlikely following an assessment by the U.S. State Department and military that found far fewer people trapped than previously feared.

Once believed to be in the tens of thousands, the number of Yazidis in the mountains is "now in the low thousands," Brett McGurk, a deputy assistant secretary of state, told CNN on Wednesday.

The news broke the same day a senior commander with the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, claimedISIS fighters abducted more than 100 Yazidi women and children from Sinjar.

The ISIS commander, who has knowledge of the events that unfolded, said the fighters killed a large number of men when they took over the town more than a week ago.

"At that time, they took Yazidi women and children, and I can confirm those women and children have entered Mosul," the commander said by telephone. "...The Islamic State is taking this opportunity to call them to Islam."

 

ISIS: We've taken Yazidi women, children

 

U.S. considering Iraq rescue mission

Iraqi refugees fleeing ISIS

 

U.S. weighs options to rescue Yazidis

Map: Where is ISIS?

While CNN cannot independently confirm the claim, it follows reports by survivors who describe ISIS fighters grabbing families and separating the men from the women and children.

The plight of the Yazidis, coupled with the ISIS assault against Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, prompted the United States to begin targeted airstrikes over the past several days.

The aim, according to President Barack Obama, is to help protect U.S. personnel in the area and to destroy ISIS positions around the mountains to ease the threat to minority groups.

The United States deployed 129 military advisers to get a firsthand look at the humanitarian crisis unfolding as ISIS fighters threaten Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities: Yazidis, Christians and Kurds.

As part of that effort, a group of about 20 U.S. State Department and military personnel spent 24 hours in the mountains to assess the numbers and conditions, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

"The Yazidis who remain are in better condition than previously believed and continue to have access to the food and water that we have dropped," he said, citing the success of humanitarian airdrops and airstrikes against ISIS.

 

Yazidis flee persecution from ISIS

 

The most dangerous man in the world?

 

ISIS guilty of 'all kinds of atrocities'

Who are the religious and ethnic groups under threat from ISIS?

The problem, though, is far from over.

The United Nations on Wednesday announced its highest level of emergency for a humanitarian crisis, saying the number of people on the run from ISIS is of grave concern.

It estimates more than 400,000 people have been driven from their homes since June, when ISIS swept across the border from Syria into Iraq.

The group has waged a brutal campaign while seizing large swaths of northern and western Iraq, aiming to establish a caliphate -- an Islamic state -- that stretches from Syria to Iraq.

Of those displaced, more than 200,000 have poured into Dohuk province in recent weeks, where refugee camps have swelled since ISIS began its assault against Yazidis, Christians and Kurds.

By declaring what it calls a "Level 3 Emergency," the United Nations says it will trigger more resources to help.

What to know about ISIS?

Obama this week ordered the military advisers to the Kurdish capital of Irbil to assess the humanitarian crisis.

The advisers, made up of Marines and special operations forces, join hundreds of other American advisers already in the country advising Iraqi troops in their fight against ISIS, an offshoot of al Qaeda in Iraq.

The group has waged a brutal campaign while seizing large areas of territory this year in Iraq, aiming to establish a caliphate.

Adding to the crisis is Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's refusal to step down after Haider al-Abadi was nominated to replace him.

In a televised address on Wednesday, he called the move to appoint al-Abadi as prime minister a constitutional violation.

Al-Maliki's political party won a majority during parliamentary elections in April, but not a super majority. Even so, al-Maliki has maintained that because his party won a majority, the next Prime Minister should come from his party.

He has filed a lawsuit in federal court to stop the formation of a new government, and he has said he wouldn't step down until the court has ruled.

"We need to protect the federal court and its decisions; no one has any ground to go against this court," al-Maliki said, while not specifically mentioning the name of Prime Minister-designate al-Abadi or any other leaders.

五角大樓：Yazidis伊拉克不大可能大規模撤離
由拉賈Razek，芭芭拉·斯塔爾和切爾西J·卡特，美國有線電視新聞網
2014年8月14日 - 更新0222 GMT（1022 HKT）

資料來源：美國有線電視新聞網
新聞提要
新：聯合國宣布其最高的緊急級別
美國軍方評估，確定被困比擔心的要少得多Yazidis
100雅茲迪婦女和兒童被關押，ISIS的指揮官告訴美國有線電視新聞網
“”我可以證實，這些婦女和兒童進入摩蘇爾，'ISIS的指揮官說，
伊拉克巴格達（CNN） - Yazidis從伊拉克辛賈爾山極端主義戰士藏匿的大規模撤離的可能性不大以下由美國國務院和軍方發現少得多的人比以前擔心被困的評估。
一旦認為是在幾萬，Yazidis在山號是“現在的低幾千，”布雷特McGurk，狀態的副助理國務卿，告訴CNN週三。
消息傳出當天一名高級指揮官與伊斯蘭國家，前身為伊斯蘭國家在伊拉克和敘利亞，聲稱ISIS的戰士綁架了超過100雅茲迪婦女和兒童辛賈爾。
ISIS的指揮官，誰都有展現了事件的知識，說戰士殺死了大量的人，當他們接管該城一個多星期前。
“當時，他們把雅茲迪的婦女和兒童，我可以證實這些婦女和兒童進入摩蘇爾，”指揮官在電話中說。“......伊斯蘭國借這個機會，他們呼籲伊斯蘭教。”
ISIS：我們已經採取了雅茲迪婦女，兒童 美考慮伊拉克的救援任務
伊拉克難民逃離ISIS 伊拉克難民逃離ISIS
美國期權重搶救Yazidis
地圖：哪裡是ISIS的？
儘管美國有線電視新聞網無法獨立證實了這一說法，它遵循誰介紹ISIS戰士抓住家庭和分離的婦女和兒童的男子倖存者的報告。
在Yazidis，加上對伊拉克半自治的庫爾德地區的ISIS攻擊的困境，促使美國在過去數天，開始有針對性的空襲。
其目的，根據美國總統奧巴馬，是為了幫助保護美國人員在該地區，破壞周圍的群山ISIS的職位，以紓緩少數群體的威脅。
美國部署了129名軍事顧問，以獲得第一手看看人道主義危機展開的戰鬥ISIS的威脅伊拉克的民族和宗教少數派：Yazidis，基督徒和庫爾德人。
作為這項努力的一部分，一組約20美國國務院和軍方人員花了24小時在山上評估的數量和條件，五角大樓發言人海軍少將約翰·柯比說。
“誰留的Yazidis在更好的條件比以前認為的，繼續獲得了食物和水，我們已經下降，”他說，理由反對ISIS的人道主義空投和空襲的成功。
Yazidis逃離迫害的ISIS 最危險的人在世界上？ ISIS犯“各種暴行”
誰是下來自ISIS的威脅，宗教和族裔群體？
但問題是，雖然還遠遠沒有結束。
聯合國週三公佈的最高緊急的人道主義危機的水平，說的人從ISIS運行的數量是很大的關注。
據估計，自六月以來超過40萬人被趕出自己的家園，當ISIS橫掃邊境從敘利亞進入伊拉克。
該集團已發動了一場殘酷的戰役，同時抓住北部和西部伊拉克大片，旨在建立一個政教合一的國家 - 一個伊斯蘭國家 - 即延伸，從敘利亞到伊拉克。
那些流離失所，20多萬湧入杜胡克省在最近幾個星期，在那裡的難民營已經膨脹，因為ISIS開始了對Yazidis，基督徒和庫爾德人的襲擊。
通過宣稱所謂的“三級應急，”聯合國表示，將引發更多的資源來幫助。
了解ISIS是什麼？
奧巴馬本週下令軍事顧問到埃爾比勒的庫爾德資本評估人道主義危機。
顧問，由海軍陸戰隊和特種作戰部隊，加入數百個其他美國顧問已經在國內建議伊拉克軍隊在反對ISIS，基地組織在伊拉克的一個分支的戰鬥。
該集團已發動了一場殘酷的戰役，而抓住大面積今年在伊拉克境內，旨在建立一個哈里發。
添加到危機總理馬利基拒絕下台後，海德爾人 - 阿巴迪被提名接替他。
在週三的電視講話，他呼籲任命人，阿巴迪作為首相違憲的舉動。
馬利基的政黨在四月份贏得了廣大期間的議會選舉，但不是絕對多數。即便如此，馬利基一直認為，因為他的政黨贏得多數席位，下屆首相應該來自他的政黨。
他提起了訴訟在聯邦法院阻止新政府的​​組成，他說他不會下台，直至法院裁定。
“我們需要保護的聯邦法院，並作出決定，沒有人有任何理由去反對這個法庭，”馬利基說，雖然沒有特別提到候任總理AL-阿巴迪或任何其他領導人的名字。