Obama vows to continue Iraq air strikes ’if necessary’

US President Barack Obama on August 9 vowed to continue air strikes against Iraqi jihadists if needed to protect US diplomats and military advisors.
 
Speaking in his weekly address, Obama said that he had authorized the strikes in Iraq to protect US personnel serving in the northern city of Arbil. "And, if necessary, that’s what we will continue to do," he said.
 
Obama said he had also authorized a "humanitarian effort" to help displaced civilians trapped by jihadists on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq. 
 
Thousands of Yazidis, a Kurdish-speaking minority, fled their homes when militants attacked the town of Sinjar and many have since been stranded in the nearby mountain range with no food and water.
 
"The thousands -- perhaps tens of thousands -- of Iraqi men, women and children who fled to that mountain were starving and dying of thirst. The food and water we airdropped will help them survive," Obama said. 
 
"I’ve also approved targeted American airstrikes to help Iraqi forces break the siege and rescue these families."
 
Obama emphasized that the United States "cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world. 
 
"But when there’s a situation like the one on this mountain -- when countless innocent people are facing a massacre, and when we have the ability to help prevent it -- the United States can’t just look away. That’s not who we are. We’re Americans.  We act.  We lead.  And that’s what we’re going to do on that mountain."
 
As head of the US military, "I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq. American combat troops will not be returning to fight in Iraq...