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The USA has started targeting forces atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the Islamic State (IS) atforfrominofonouttowithwithout northern Iraq. Several US air strikes have taken atforfrominofonouttowithwithout heavy weaponry that the Islamic State captured atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the Iraqi army. President Obama said the new attacks are to protect American residents atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Erbil, the capital atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region. IS recently changed its name atforfrominofonouttowithwithout ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). The group now controls a quarter atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Iraq (including the country's largest dam), and a third atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Syria. Mr Obama made it clear that there would be no boots atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the ground. He said: "Even as we support Iraqis as they take the fight atforfrominofonouttowithwithout these terrorists, American combat troops will not be returning to fight atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Iraq."

Another reason atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the air strikes atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the IS is to protect Iraq's Yazidi people and other minority groups. The Yazidis are ethnically Kurdish. Their religion includes elements atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Zoroastrianism. The IS told the Yazidis to convert atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Islam, pay a tax, or face death. Earlier this week the UN warned atforfrominofonouttowithwithout a humanitarian catastrophe atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the possibility atforfrominofonouttowithwithout ethnic cleansing atforfrominofonouttowithwithout the hands of the IS. The IS have reportedly taken hundreds atforfrominofonouttowithwithout Yazidi women hostage. Obama said the latest US military action is also, "a humanitarian effort to help save thousands atforfrominofonouttowithwithout [Yazidis] who are trapped atforfrominofonouttowithwithout a mountain atforfrominofonouttowithwithout food and water and facing almost certain death".