President Obama has vowed to assist Iraq in the battle against a group of militants who aim to conquer the country.

Obama told reporters at the White House on Friday that the United States will offer aid but that the responsibility lies mostly with the Iraqi government.

"The United States will do our part, but understand that ultimately it's up to the Iraqis, as a sovereign nation, to solve their problems," Obama said, USA Today reported.

While defense officials were not at liberty to discuss the specifics of any military action taken by the U.S., one anonymous senior official told USA Today, "Air power options in Iraq are limited because the closest aircraft that could wage a bombing campaign against Islamist militants who have captured several of the nation's largest cities are at least 800 miles away."

The official went on to say that a U.S. airstrike would also require coordination with Iraqi foot soldiers and that any action taking without a clear objective would prove meaningless in the long run anyway.

President Obama was also adamant that regardless of any measures taken, the U.S. would not send troops back to Iraq for combat.

The crisis in Iraq caught fire earlier this week when the militant group ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) invaded and captured several major cities including Mosul, the second-largest city in the country.

The Sunni Muslim group is known for its extreme radicalism and violent tactics. According to ABC News, U.N. Human Rights spokesman Rupert Colville has received reports the group is carrying out executions in Mosul.

"The full extent of civilian casualties is not yet known, but reports received by ... the UN Mission in Iraq suggest that the number of people killed may run into the hundreds, and the number of wounded is said to be approaching 1,000," ABC quoted Colville.

Obama said he believes that the ISIS's presence in Iraq could eventually pose a problem to American interests as well. It is clear something needs to be done, and only time will tell what that something is.