U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, right, the Pentagon press secretary, makes remarks before introducing Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., the director of operations with the Joint Staff, Sept. 23, 2014, during a press briefing on operations in Syria at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. President Barack Obama authorized humanitarian aid deliveries to Iraq as well as targeted airstrikes to protect U.S. personnel from extremists known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. U.S. Central Command directed the operations.