US President Barack Obama addressed his nation Thursday night to confirm that he has ordered air strikes against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, as well as aid drops to Yazidi refugees hiding on a mountain after being driven from their homes by the Sunni militants.

“The US cannot and should not intervene every time there is a crisis in the world,” President Obama said.  But the violence perpetrated by Islamic State is occurring “on a horrific scale”, and the Iraqi government had requested international assistance.

“We can act, carefully and responsibly, to prevent a potential act of genocide,” Obama said, referring to civilians from the Yazidi religious minority.  “Today America is coming to help.”

Yazidi, Christians, Kurds, and other groups viewed as infidels are all in danger as Islamic State continues to grab new territory.  Some analysts say IS now controls a region of Iraq and Syria that’s larger than neighboring countries like Lebanon and Jordan.  That territory came at the cost of at least 5,600 civilian lives.  The United Nations accuses Islamic State fighters in Iraq of executions, rape, and forced recruitment of children.