As the crisis in Iraq continues to deteriorate, President Barack Obama has allowed for humanitarian aid drops for Iraq's beleaguered minorities as well as limited air strikes against advancing ISIS forces.

In a statement delivered from the White House's State Dining Room, the president informed the country and the world that he had allowed for limited strikes against the forces of the Islamic militant group rampaging through Iraq, according to The New York Times.

"Earlier this week, one Iraqi cried that there is no one coming to help," Obama said. "Well, today America is coming to help."

However, the president clarified that American aid did not mean a full-fledged incursion back into Iraq. But, ISIS's advance into Kurdish territory and its proximity to the Kurdish capital, where American troops and diplomats are stationed, prompted the president to act.

"As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into another war in Iraq," the president said.

Though no strikes had been made at the time of the president's announcement, the Pentagon confirmed Friday morning that attacks on ISIS positions had already begun. In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said that two F/A-18 Super Hornets "had dropped 500-pound laser-guided bombs on a mobile artillery piece near Erbil." Erbil is the Kurdish capital where U.S. personnel are located.

Kirby said in the statement that ISIS artillery had been shelling Kurdish positions near the city. According to Defense One, around 750 U.S. troops remain in Iraq, with some 200 acting as military adviser, including in Erbil, where there is a U.S. consulate. Defense One added that this is the first time since 2011 that the U.S. conducted military action in Iraq.

As part of his authorization for action in Iraq, the president also allowed for humanitarian aid for Iraq's ethnic and religious minorities persecuted by ISIS, reports The Associated Press. The supplies would help trapped Yazidis on the mountains outside Sinjar without provisions.

In a tweet, Defense One reported the Pentagon had sent two C-130 Hercules and one C-17 Globemaster III airlifters to provide food and water for the besieged people. The planes, escorted by a pair of F/A-18s, deployed 72 bundles of supplies.

A news release from the Pentagon reported that enough supplies were dropped for 8,000 people. However, around 40,000 people are stranded in the mountains around outside Sinjar.