Following an announcement Thursday evening by President Barrack Obama authorizing limited air strikes against militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), American military planes struck several strategic militant positions in northern Iraq Friday.

The strikes were deemed a necessary protection of American citizens based in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, just a 30-minute drive from where militant forces have now allegedly advanced. Obama also cited ongoing ISIS atrocities as justification for the attack.

READ MORE: Report Shows ISIS Committed Mass Murder In North Iraq

This marks the first time the U.S. has taken a direct combat role in Iraq since withdrawing forces in 2011. Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said that "the United States military will continue to take direct action against [ISIS], when they threaten our personnel and facilities."

Read the full story at The New York Times.

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