US Launches 2 More Airstrikes on ISIS - More Bombs Dropped on Iraqi Militants .
•3 hours ago
Published on Aug 8, 2014
BREAKING NEWS: U.S. Begins 2nd Airstrikes on Iraq Militants
Two Jet Fighters Drop 500-Pound, Laser-Guided Bombs
FIRST video of US air strike aftermath in Northern Iraq
Smoke rises over the desert near Arbil, northern Iraq, after US air strike on Islamic State artillery. The United States carried out three air strike against ISIS militants in Iraq today, targeting artillery, mortars and a convoy, the Pentagon's press secretary, Rear Adm. John Kirby, said.
(WSJ) WASHINGTON—The U.S. military expanded its offensive against Sunni extremists in northern Iraq on Friday, launching a second round of air strikes meant to bring a halt to the militant advance on the Kurdish capital of Erbil, American officials said Friday.
American jet fighters attacked militants with the group that calls itself the Islamic State, who in recent days opened a new front in Iraq, this time against Kurdish forces for control of the long stable Iraqi region, officials said.
U.S. F/A-18 jet fighters first used 500-pound laser guided bombs to hit a mobile artillery piece on Friday. Hours later, a second strike zeroed in on additional targets, which officials did not immediately specify.
While the initial strikes were modest, they marked the start of a loosely defined American effort to halt the surprising successes of militants affiliated with the Islamic State organization in seizing control of large parts of Iraq in recent months.
The airstrikes are meant to provide critical support for Kurdish forces, called the Peshmerga, struggling to repel Islamic State forces. The militants have taken control of the country's largest dam, beheaded Iraqi soldiers and driven thousands of religious minorities into desolate mountains where they are struggling to survive.
Earlier on Friday, defense officials said one artillery piece, towed by a truck, was destroyed in the strike.
"The enemy gets a vote," said a senior defense official. "If they stop, we stop. If they attack we bring down the hammer."
Officials said it was too soon to tell if the current campaign would last weeks or days, but said they expect more strikes by U.S. fighter jets, as early as this weekend.
The strikes were the first since President Barack Obama on Thursday authorized U.S. military action to target radical Islamic forces in the Kurdish-dominated city, where the U.S. has diplomatic and military personnel aiding the Kurds.
The F/A-18s flew from the USS George H.W. Bush, an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. Pilots on the bombing missions weren't given a green light to strike targets at will. Defense officials said that Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of U.S. Central Command, has broad latitude within Mr. Obama's authorization to choose targets.
Mr. Obama authorized the targeted airstrikes and emergency-assistance missions, saying the U.S. must act to protect American personnel and prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Mr. Obama said the goal of strikes would be to stop militants from closing in on Erbil, a Kurdish stronghold, or to allow local forces to aid the Yazidis, a religious minority forced out of the town of Sinjar by militants and into nearby mountains.
However, as they began airstrikes, U.S. officials continued Friday pressing for speedy progress in Baghdad toward formation of a new Iraqi government, a step they repeatedly have said is a key prerequisite for stability in the country. Speaking in Kabul, Secretary of State John Kerry said the solution for Iraq's problems remains a political deal in Baghdad to form a unity government, but that the U.S. has made it clear it will act.
"President Obama has been unequivocal that he will do what is necessary when it's in our interest to confront ISIL and its threat to the security of the region and to our own security in the long run," Mr. Kerry said.
Military officials said the initial drop of food and water hit the spot they were aimed for, adding it could take several days to assess whether aid is needed in other areas of the mountain. Officials said they would likely hold off a second drop of aid until they have a full assessment of the effectiveness of the first drop.
"Now that airdrops have started, the [United Nations] in Iraq is urgently preparing a humanitarian corridor to allow those in need to flee the areas under threat," said Nickolay Mladenov, the U.N.'s secretary-general's special representative for Iraq.
The first strikes were aimed at militant forces putting pressure on Erbil. Before the strikes, the U.S. military was tracking approximately 35 militant trucks threatening the city.
The strikes bring to a head soaring concern about militant advances in Iraq, where extremist fighters seized control of areas long considered safe and took over the Mosul Dam, the country's largest.
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