The United States has carried out air strikes on Islamist militants in Iraq, as James Robbins reports.
The US has launched an air strike against militants from the Islamic State (IS) group in northern Iraq.
The Pentagon said its aircraft attacked artillery being used against Kurdish forces defending the city of Irbil.
The Sunni Muslim group IS, formerly known as Isis, now has control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people from minority groups have fled their homes due to the militants' advance. IS has also seized Iraq's largest dam.
According to US officials, the dam is a vital part of Iraq's infrastructure as it controls water levels on the Tigris River and is a key source of water and electricity generation for the Iraqi people.
The air strike targeted IS artillery near the Khazer checkpoint outside of the city of Irbil
Struggle for Iraq: In maps
According to the Pentagon statement, two F/A-18 aircraft from an aircraft carrier in the Gulf dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on mobile artillery near Irbil, where US personnel are based.
The air strike is the first time the US has been directly involved in a military operation in Iraq since American troops withdrew in late 2011.
No time limit has been set for air strikes, White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters, but he insisted that a "prolonged military conflict that includes US involvement is not on the table."
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the world needed to wake up to the threat posed by the IS group.
Its "campaign of terror against the innocent, including the Yazidi and Christian minorities, and its grotesque targeted acts of violence show all the warning signs of genocide," he said.
IS fighters seized Qaraqosh, Iraq's biggest Christian town, earlier this week, causing many thousands to flee.
The militants' advance has also forced tens of thousands of Yazidis to leave their homes and escape to a nearby mountain.
'Carefully and responsibly'
Speaking from the White House on Thursday, President Obama said "America is coming to help" the people of Iraq.
He accused IS fighters of attempting the systematic destruction of entire populations.
At the same time, he announced that US military planes had already carried out air drops of food and water, at the request of the Iraqi government, to the many displaced Yazidis who are in need of supplies.
Britain and France have also pledged humanitarian support, with the UK sending £8m ($13.5m) of emergency aid.
The United Nations says it is working on opening a humanitarian corridor in northern Iraq to allow stranded people to flee.
Analysis:
Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence correspondent
Rapid intervention in the north was a special case merited by the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, but how much more support might the Americans give to the Kurds?
Amid all the talk of centrifugal forces in Iraq, the Kurdish north has the greatest degree of autonomy - some would argue it is already half-way out of the door of the Iraqi state.
Such a move would have huge implications for Turkey, Syria and Iran who all have Kurdish minorities.
Marzio Babille, Unicef's representative in Iraq, said the Yazidis were in an extremely precarious situation because of the "very aggressive and brutal" IS militants.
He said there were many "logistical and strategic difficulties", but added that a humanitarian corridor needed to be established.
Meanwhile all US airlines and a growing list of other carriers are not flying over Iraq due to the situation.
Rapid intervention in the north was a special case merited by the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe, but how much more support might the Americans give to the Kurds?
Amid all the talk of centrifugal forces in Iraq, the Kurdish north has the greatest degree of autonomy - some would argue it is already half-way out of the door of the Iraqi state.
Such a move would have huge implications for Turkey, Syria and Iran who all have Kurdish minorities.
Marzio Babille, Unicef's representative in Iraq, said the Yazidis were in an extremely precarious situation because of the "very aggressive and brutal" IS militants.
He said there were many "logistical and strategic difficulties", but added that a humanitarian corridor needed to be established.
Meanwhile all US airlines and a growing list of other carriers are not flying over Iraq due to the situation.
The US air strike reportedly targeted IS artillery being used against Kurdish fighters in Irbul
Tens of thousands of Yazidis and Christians have been displaced because of the IS advance
-SOURCE: BBC News
