United States President, Barack Obama, has authorized air strikes against Islamic militants in northern Iraq but will not send U.S troops back to the country.
He said Islamic State (IS) fighters would be targeted to prevent the slaughter of religious minorities, or if they threaten U.S interests.
Strikes have not yet begun, but the U.S has made humanitarian air drops to Iraqis under threat from the militants, the BBC reports.
IS has seized Qaraqosh, Iraq’s biggest Christian town, forcing locals to flee.
The Sunni Muslim group, formerly known as ISIS, has been gaining ground in northern Iraq and Syria for several months.
In a rapid advance in June the group took control of the northern city of Mosul and advanced south towards Baghdad.
It now controls large swathes of Iraq and Syria and says it has created an Islamic caliphate in its territory.
Speaking at the White House, Mr. Obama said U.S military aircraft had already dropped food and water to members of the Yazidi religious minority community trapped on Mount Sinjar by IS fighters.
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All hail President Barrack Obama the defender of the weak and feeble
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