U.S. military aircraft have conducted a strike on ISIS artillery that had been used near Irbil, Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Friday on Twitter.
President Barack Obama on Thursday gave authorization to launch "targeted airstrikes" if needed to protect U.S. interests from fighters with the Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS.
The U.S. military could also use airstrikes to intervene in a humanitarian crisis that the Islamic State is inflicting on a religious minority.
The Islamic State moved closer to U.S. interests in Iraq's Kurdish region in the north this week, taking towns from the Kurdish fighting force, known as the Peshmerga.
Before the Islamic State's onslaught, the region had been the most stable in Iraq and a cooperative ally of the United States. U.S. military advisers and consular personnel are stationed in the Kurdish capital, Irbil.
In an address Thursday night announcing his decision, Obama said he has directed the military to strike the militants "should they move towards the city."
Kurdish leaders have been pleading for the United States or NATO to buttress their forces against the Islamic State from the air. The President seems to have heard their appeal.
"We do whatever is necessary to protect our people," Obama said, adding, "We support our allies when they're in danger."
It is now up to the Islamic State, a senior administration official said. If it decides to approach U.S. interests, airstrikes are a "clear possibility."/AP/