U.S. Airstrikes on Iraq

U.S. fighter planes strike at artillery used by Islamic militants in Iraq.

by Rachel Clarke

This morning U.S. forces struck against targets in northern Iraq. Here's what we know:

Two F/A-18 aircraft dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on mobile artillery used by ISIS militants, the Pentagon said
The artillery was destroyed in the strike, Rear Adm. John Kirby says
President Obama authorized the strikes -- to protect U.S. personnel and interests as well as concerns about the actions of ISIS
U.S. airlines are now banned from flying over Iraq

3rd & 7 37yd

Thanks for reading

Thank you for joining us for today's breaking news that U.S. aircraft had struck targets inside Iraq.

We're closing this live blog for now but watch CNN for the latest developments as they happen.

And here are some of our stories on CNN.com right now:
- U.S. conducts airstrikes on ISIS militants in Iraq
- Why now?
- Five reasons the West should worry
- Army colonel: Don't go back to Iraq
by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 6:11:59 PM
White House briefing coming up

Watch live on CNN and we'll bring you key points here too.

You can bet the military action will be a main point today.

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 4:47:27 PM
Pentagon spox Rear Admiral Kirby tells me arming outgunned Kurds is "something (the US is) considering and talking about" @cnni #iraq #ISIS

by Michael Holmes via twitter 8/8/2014 4:36:06 PM
In wake of strikes, #ISIS taunts US saying "If you're real men..don't send your drones..send your soldiers who we've humiliated" in #Iraq

by jim sciutto via twitter 8/8/2014 4:36:02 PM
On the decks of the USS George H.W. Bush

Here are sailors guiding an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck of the USS George H.W. Bush earlier today in the Persian Gulf, in a photo released by the Navy.

We don't know it was one of the planes used in the airstrike.

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 4:35:37 PM
Where is ISIS?

Here's a map from our graphics team showing how ISIS have spread across northern Iraq.

Sinjar is the city that the Yazidi minority used to call home; now they've fled to the surrounding mountains. Irbil is in the Kurdish region, now only about 30 miles from the front lines, reports Ivan Watson.

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 3:28:55 PM
Iraqi forces also attacking ISIS

From CNN's Hamdi Alkhshali: An Iraqi air strike killed 45 ISIS fighters and injured 60 others Friday in the northern town of Sinjar, the country's state-run National Media Center said.

Sinjar is a town that ISIS militants raided last weekend, spurring members of the Yazidi minority to flee into the surrounding mountains.

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 3:19:28 PM
Turkish air spokesman @gencalidr announces airline suspending flights to Erbil until further notice due to security reasons
#Kurdistan #Iraq

by Ivan Watson via twitter 8/8/2014 3:15:18 PM
Hundreds sheltering in a construction site

CNN's Ivan Watson shows the desperate straits of people who've fled to Irbil to escape the Islamic State.

"Nobody has a plan right now, nobody knows what they're going to do," he reports.

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 3:14:27 PM
Airlines told to avoid Iraq

The FAA just banned all U.S. airlines from flying over Iraq, "due to the hazardous situation created by the armed conflict."
The FAA
@FAANews
FAA Statement – New Notice to Airmen Issued for Iraq http://t.co/5LcfZ4rIAf #aviation
Aug. 8, 2014
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by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 2:52:22 PM
Catch-up: What you need to know about ISIS

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 2:37:06 PM
Two F/A-18's dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on ISIS mobile artillery nr Erbil.
#iraq Side Note: Planes from carrier George Bush

by Michael Holmes via twitter 8/8/2014 2:33:14 PM
Hearing from Speaker John Boehner
Jim Acosta
@JimAcostaCNN
Boehner: Air strikes "appropriate" but he's "dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat ISIS poses"
Aug. 8, 2014
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Republican House Speaker John Boehner just released this statement:
“The president’s authorization of airstrikes is appropriate, but like many Americans, I am dismayed by the ongoing absence of a strategy for countering the grave threat ISIS poses to the region.

"Vital national interests are at stake, yet the White House has remained disengaged despite warnings from Iraqi leaders, Congress, and even members of its own administration.

"Such parochial thinking only emboldens the enemy and squanders the sacrifices Americans have made.

"The president needs a long-term strategy – one that defines success as completing our mission, not keeping political promises – and he needs to build the support to sustain it.

"If the president is willing to put forward such a strategy, I am ready to listen and work with him.

"For now, I wish Godspeed to all our men and women participating in these operations.”
by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 2:32:25 PM
Bringing Congress into the loop

The White House and Congress have been talking about Iraq and possible action there for some time.

The National Security Council's spokesperson Bernadette Meehan gave this statement to Jim Acosta:

"The Administration has been consulting closely with Congress about events in Iraq over the past number of weeks and has additionally consulted with Congress on these actions. Consistent with these consultations, we will comply with any applicable reporting requirements in the War Powers Resolution."

by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 2:30:13 PM
Message from the Pope
Pope Francis
@Pontifex
Please take a moment today to pray for all those who have been forced from their homes in Iraq. #PrayForPeace
Aug. 8, 2014
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by Rachel Clarke 8/8/2014 2:26:15 PM