Airstrikes And Humanitarian Aid Start In Iraq

NBC News reports that American naval jets have bombed ISIS positions near the Iraqi city of Erbil

The United States dropped laser-guided bombs on ISIS artillery in Iraq on Friday, the Pentagon said - the beginning of airstrikes threatened a day earlier by President Barack Obama.

The bombs, 500 pounds each, were dropped by two Navy F-18 fighter jets near Erbil, the strategically important city that serves as the Kurdish capital, and where the United States has a consulate. ISIS was using the artillery to shell Kurdish forces defending Erbil, the Pentagon said.

The report also indicates that President Obama has authorized drops of food and water to refugees trapped on a mountain by ISIS.  These would be the Yazidis, who are a religious minority.

Meanwhile, BBC News reports that planes from the United Kingdom will drop "emergency aid supplies", including water, lights and tents.