>> welcome to aljazeera america. i'm david schuster here with the stories that we're following for you at this hour. jets strike an islamic state target in iraq. a briefing is this afternoon, and we'll bring those remarks to you when they happen. and talking about gaza, and the firing has resumed after rockets are fired into israeli and israelis respond. and in hawaii, a second

hurricane is gaining strength. we begin in northern iraq, where u.s. war planes conducted airstrikes earlier today against islamic state fighters, and according to the pentagon, two f-18 fighter jets guided a pair of laser guided bombs at an artillery piece in erbil. that after president barack obama talked weren't about a growing humanitarian crisis. >> they dried to the world, there is no one coming to help. today, america is coming to help. >> the united states is trying to help a religious group stranded on a mountain in northern iraq. 15,000 have taken refuge, and the u.n. said that islamic state have executed hundreds of people. and they are threatening to kill

all of the rest of them if they don't convert to islam. tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes when kurdish defenses fell this week. they are still going into the territory held by the kurds. a white house briefing is happening within the hour, and we're tug to the kurds when the u.s. military involvement and the policy, and when this brogue starts, we'll of course bring it to you live. in the meantime, in northern iraq, the u.s. military airstrike does not appear to have lessened the anxiety and the fears in the kurdish capital of erbil. >> reporter: we are told that the airstrikes, confirmed by the u.s. on islamic state artillery battery, are actually in an area that they had evacuated a short time ago. now east of erbil, the kurdish

capital, close to 100,000 people who fled cities and towns, overrun by the islamic state, have been moving to erbil, according to the kurdish officials. but some of them though had chosen to go back to mosul. just a short a while ago, we saw some who had come over the past 24 hours, saying that they had been fleeing for the past two months, since mosul fell. there are reports that embassies are evacuating their staff. and reports that oil companies are also pulling their workers out of the oilfield. all in all, a growing sense of panic here. >> libby casey is live in washington, and libby, it anything that we know more about this airstrike this morning? >> well, david, the pentagon initially announced the airstrike by twitter, which shows the age that we're living in, and we do have details about the fact that we were targeting

this mobile artillery feeder that they were using to target forces. and in erbil, they're worried about the kurdish population, essentially the kurdish capital. it was made by central command. and they can do that, because they have the authorization to launch airstrikes from president barack obama. abdullah, the oarage, from the u.s., the faa has banned passenger flights over iraq, citing the hazardous situation. more as we get briefing from the white house about what may happen next. >> let's listen to the white house spokesman addressing reporters. >> come on, let's set the record

straight, there we go, all right. i don't have any announcements at the top, so we'll go straight to questions, and darlene, do you want to get us started? >> reporter: following up on iraq and the airstrike earlier today. any additional airstrikes today, do you get a sense of how long the president [ unintelligible ]. >> i'm glad that you described it that way, because the president -- the authorization that the president has been given hor has given for military action is very limited in scope and was clearly described to the people last night. i don't have any operational updates to share with you, in terms of additional military action. as you pointed out, the department of defense did confirm this morning that a military strike was carried out in iraq. and the additional updates will

come from them. department of defense does have significant capability and will be prepared to use that capability for the goals that the president articulated last night. >> what was your best definition of limited? >> there are two specific ways that the president described -- i would describe them in three different ways. the first and foremost, the protection of american personnel. there are american military and diplomatic officials in erbil, and the position by isis this morning was focused on tarts that were defending erbil. and that is why that struck -- that military strike was authorized and that's why it occurred. so the protection of american personnel in iraq is a top priority.

and one is that ferits military force. the second is related to this urgent humanitarian situation that exists on sinjar mountain. there's a religious ethnic minority, a population of thousands of men and women and children, stranded at the top of this mountain. isil forces are marshaled at the base of the mountain, vowing to kill those who descend. and that is an urgent military situation, the united states military last night, on the authorization of the president carried out a successful air dron of supplies, food and water and basic mel supplies to those individuals who were stranded on the mountain to try to provide some humanitarian relief. the president has authorized military strikes that could be used to address that situation at the mountain. there are kurdish security forces that are seeking to dislodge that siege there at

sinjar mountain, and if the americans can be helpful in supporting kurdish forces, then airstrikes could be carried out pursuant to that goal. the third is slightly broader. but is related to our belief and commitment to supporting integrated iraqi security forces and kurdish security forces, as they unite the country to repel the threat that is posed by the isil advance. what will be required for that of course is an integrated inclusive political leadership in iraq. and it is why this country stands ready to support the formation of an inclusive government in iraq. there have been significant -- there has been significant progress on that front in the last few weeks. there has been the appointment of a president, a speaker and

two deputy speakers that reflect the diversity of iraq's population. the head of government in iraq, however, is the prime minister. and the prime minister has not been selected, that's the responsibility of the iraqi people. once that government has formed, we will be continuing to urge that government to pursue an inclusive government agenda to unite the countr poles the by te threat of isil. and we will continue to help repel the advance of isil. and that includes the deployment of force, but it will not include additional american combat trooping deployed to iraq. >> in the humanitarian situation, is there a plan to get those people off of the mountain? and operation? >> what is being -- the strategy right now is to try to meet the

basic and immediate needs of the people trapped in these pretty terrible conditions. that is what prompted the air drop of supplies that occurred overnight. the second prong in that strategy, as the president described in his remarks last night, is the possibility of targeted military strikes that could dislodge the isil forces that are carrying out the siege of that mountain. that would be in support of kurdish security forces that are also trying to disrupt that siege, so we'll be acting in support of kurdish forces that are trying to free those that are trapped at the top of the mountain. but what is not contemplated here is the introduction of american troops in a combat role to alleviate the situation. >> reporter: can you give us a sense [ unintelligible ] is he

trying to get other leaders and allies to join in? >> the presidential phonecalls right now, if the president places other phonecalls today, we will give that in a timely fashion. the president has met with his security team to get an update on the situation in iraq, and he is, of course as you would expect, briefed on the military strike that was carried out this morning. and the president will stay in close touch with his national security team over the course of the day to be updated as necessary. >> thanks, josh. so as we have seen the isis or isil make gains in recent weeks, the united states has military advisers, you and he have said that there's no military solution to this. and that the united states is

not going to get dragged into a war. what is to stop that from happening, and what is to stop the united states from advancing further into iraq. i'll try to take those questions individually. the first, it is important for the american people to understand. and the president said this very clearly in his remarks last night. and if you will indulge me for a second, i'll repeat them. as commander in chief, i will not allow the united states to be dragged into fighting another war in iraq. and so even as we support iraqis and as they take the fight to these terrorists, american combat troops will not be returning to fight in iraq. so that is a pretty clear expression from the commander in chief about what our intentions are, and what the limits will be. and that's a clear enunciation

of the principle at stake here. which is the belief that there are many challenges facing the people of iraq right now, and it's the view of the president that those challenges can not be solved by the american military. they can only be solved through an inclusive government of the people of iraq. and they have made progress in trying to form that government. and we are hopeful that once that government is formed, that they will pursue the kind of inclusive government agenda that's required to unite the country in the face of the threat that exists in the country right now. if there's a role for the american military to play in supporting the iraqi people in that inclusive government and the integrative security force that's capable of defending the country, then we'll use that american military prowess in pursuit of that goal as well. it is, first o after all, in thr

security interest of the united states for there to be a stable iraqi government, that can preside over a stable iraq, and a security force that has the necessary capability to address the security situation in that country. these are all difficult challenges, and i don't mean to minimize them. but we have a very clear point of view that's based on our recent experience about the limit of american involvement in that kind of endeavor. and what that means is this is a situation that is a very difficult challenge, but it's not a challenge that can be solved by the american military. there's support that can be given by the american military. but this is a situation that will only be solved by the iraqi people and a government that reflects the views of iraq's

diverse population. >> reporter: do you hope that the actions authorized yesterday will effectively buy time so the iraqis will organize their government and the defense forces to repel isis? >> i don't think that i would describe it that way, and i don't think the president would either. the primary goal of the mission that the president authorized last night is the protection of the american personnel in iraq, and the president authored military action to address an urgent and dire situation. and the willingness on the part of the american people to continue to stand with the people of iraq as they pursue a future that is reflect i havivee diverse population of iraq, and the future is not under grave threat by isil extremists making advances in the country, and clear for national security for us to support the iraqi people

as they confront that threat. but again, this is a threat that that we cannot help for them. but it can only be defeated by a unified iraq in support of an integrated capable iraq security force. if that requires the support of the american military, that is support that we're ready to offer, but will not offer in the form of a prolonged military conflict that involves the united states of america. and it will not involve american troops returning to iraq in a combat role. >> we show a decline in the number of children being apprehended, and adults as well. how does that data factor into the president's thinking, his urgency, acting unilaterally to address the situation? >> a couple of things about the data and then the president's

views. the first thing about the data, we have seen a downward trend over the last four to six weeks, at the rate at which unaccompanied children are being apprehended at the boarder. but even two years ago, there still are apprehensions taking place at an elevated rate. so while they have come down from the peak that we all saw, the rate is still high when you compare it to broader historical terms. the second thing, the second point that i wanted to make on this, historical trends also indicate that as the weather cools, and as we enter the fall and winter season, traditionally, the rates of apprehension, and the rates of those attempting to illegally leave the country, go back up. and the volatility of these numbers is something that the administration remains concerned about. and it is why we have taken some

steps within the executive branch to reprogram some funds, and devote additional resources to the border, and though we have seen a decline in the rate, we want to make sure that the resources are necessary if and when volatility is introduced into that situation, and the numbers start to go back up, we want to make sure that we're ahead of the curve on that. and it's also why we continue to urge congress to take action to provide additional resources to ensure that the federal government has the resources to deal with that problem. congress left town for recess without act on the specific request by the administration for those resources, but we hope that when they return, they will take steps to provide those resources. as it relates to the president's commitment to acting unilaterally to address the problems of our broken immigration system, i think two things about that. the first is congress' failure, and house republican's failure

in particular, to take action on a common sense proposal to dean the problem that we all know exists, is evident of how poorly congress has performed in trying to address this problem. and because congress has failed to act, the president is going to use the power that's vested within the executive branch to try to take steps to address this problem. those steps last name be as robust or impactful or long lasting as enact. legislation, but there may be some things that the president can do, using his executive authority within the confines of the law, to address the problem, and if there are, the president will act on them. the final thing i'll say on this is that immigration, over the course of the last couple of years, in terms of our political debate, was something that was talked about quite a bit. >> and as josh earnest talks

about immigration, he did make a little bit of news in terms of the details about the u.s. mission. he said that this continues to be limited in scope in northern iraq, and he didn't provide any operational updates beyond what the pentagon said, and that is that two f-18 fighter jabs dropped laser guided bombs near erbil, but earnest goes on to say that it gets to the main mission, to protect u.s. personnel in iraq. including several dozen who are in erbil, and secondly, in sinjar, you have tens of thousands of ethnic minorities who are fleeing islamic state in the kurdish defenses, and the tens of thousands of refugees are now on a mountain without food or water, and they're essentially surrounded by islamic state forces threatening

to kill them if they come down. and what earnest said, the kurdish forces are now in an effort to dislodge the isis forces there. and the u.s. military will be acting in coordination with kurdish forces to clear a humanitarian corridor. several times, earnest spoke about the united states acting in support of kurdish forces, and the united states has now been putting troops on the ground. and this would not be a long military mission. i want to bring in retired general, mark kinnon, a former assistant secretary of state for political affairs, and ambassador kinnon, this idea of the united states working with kurdish forces, how effective can that be? what sort of coordination does the united states military have now with kurdish forces in the north? >> well, certainly if you are to ask the white house, saying that this effort is -- forces where

the kurds are part of that, [ audio difficulties ] we have a pretty strong structure with the security forces in afghanistan, [ unintelligible ] so support to iraq and the people of iraq, not conclusively for the kurdish forces. >> is it a very difficult mission to simultaneously drop on the mountain and the fighters at the base, and to make sure that the u.s., aircraft are not targeted as well? >> the u.s. military can handle that, and [ unintelligible ] the battle we have the most

task-ready force in the world. this is something that the u.s. does on a regular basis. >> we understand that the two f-18s flew from the george h.w. bush, in the persian gulf, and the u.s. military continues to have a lot of air assets over iraq for this kind of mission? >> yes. i don't see this as a difficult mission for the u.s. military. this is a force that has been doing these types of operations in various degrees for many years. this is exactly what u.s. aircraft carriers are designed to do around the world at any time. so it may complicate it, and it takes a lot of coordination, but at this point [ unintelligible ]. >> were you surprised at the limited nature of the mission this morning? i mean, two airstrikes and an

artillery piece, sounds very precise when you talk about isis having thousands of fighters, and what's keeping the u.s. military or the obama administration, what's keeping them from dropping dozens and dozens of airstrikes to try to break isis in iraq? >> the u.s. support has been to make political progress, and unfortunately, the paradox is that isis changed that political -- they're now providing military support because of what is being described as a humanitarian emergency. and in effect, isis is making the situation stronger for prime minister maliki to stay in power. up to this point, it has been conditional on a change in government. and that said, what really brought this to the for is the

fact that the artillery situation, that may be, as josh earnest said, the situation of u.s. personnel in erbil, as a result, the president made the decision for a limited strike. >> general mark kim et on the phone in cairo, and thank you for being with us. we appreciate it. let's go to libby casey. the u.s. is not going to be engaged in any long military involvement and we're not putting troops on the ground. and i gather that the white house is terrified of the public's lingering anger over the war in iraq. >> they are being very careful to mark their words, and be specific about what is at stake

and what the objective is. you heard him talk about the humanitarian aspect of it, and working with partners and working westbound kurds. it's a repeated sound bite that you heard from him. he's a spokesman, and he doesn't want to be used and carved up in the sound bite of the u.s. directed mission that brings up concerns about americans, that they're entering another war in iraq. and so the balance of the humanitarian mission, as well as fighting back the islamic state is something that across the board the administration is trying to balance. we heard from secretary of state, john kerry, today, and he's in afghanistan, david, but despite that, and working on issues there, he was still addressing this issue, and he talked about the concern for the people. and what they're facing in their trapped situation. and the real threat they're under from the islamic state fighters. take a listen. >> grotesque, targeted acts of violence show all the warning

signs of genocide. for anyone who needed a wake-up call, this is it. isil is not fighting on behalf of sunnies. isil is not fighting for a stronger iraq. isil is fighting to destroy iraq, and it's fighting to create a state of its own brutal on res, a place where chaos and ruthless brutality governs. >> we know that he spoke to king abdullah in saudi, arabia, and great britain has promised humanitarian aid, and they're getting involved in that respect. but at this point, they're not getting involved militarily. and the uk also facing fatigue over the war in iraq, david. >> all right, libby casey in iraq, and we want to bring all

of our viewers up-to-date on the other big story overseas, and that is what's going on in gaza. the ceasefire has ended after palestinian rockets into israel this morning, and israel responded with airstrikes so, the conflict is back and ratcheting up again in gaza. joining us now from gaza, the latest on the situation, and what's the latest and what are you seeing and hearing now? >> reporter: i can confirm that five people have been killed in this latest fighting since the expiration of the ceasefire. around 30 people are injured. and just right now, i can hear the buzz of zones, and periodically the roar of israeli fighter jets as well. so intense situation on the ground here. and many people paying close attention to cairo, hoping that the palestinian negotiators can come up with some sort of agreement that will be for the israeli negotiators to go back to cairo and in their minds,

hopefully sign a deal. >> there was a distinction this morning, saying that it was not hamas firing the rockets, but islamic jihad, and is that what matters to the israeli side? >> it does, the bottom line is this, israelis are indroll dealing with hamas, and not dealing with jihad and other factors here. though they know that hamas has ties to those groups, but it is important to point out that these are not hamas rockets that have been fired at israel. and that is perhaps why we understand that there's still back channeling going on. and some have suggested that in the next few hours, these indirect talks could lead to some sort of substantive agreement. but at this stage, it does appear that the gulf between hamas and israel seems to be pretty far. >> reporting from gaza, thank you very much for this update. and that will do it for this

half hour, thank you for watching aljazeera america. we'll keep you most odd all of the developments this afternoon, and gaza and what is going on in northern iraq. for now, i'm david schuster. techno is next, and again, check back in the afternoon. thank you for watching aljazeera america.