U.S. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, at lectern, the Pentagon press secretary, stands by as Army Lt. Gen. William C. Mayville Jr., the director for operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefs reporters at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Sept. 23, 2014, about airstrikes launched the previous night in Syria and ongoing efforts in Iraq against extremists known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). President Barack Obama authorized humanitarian aid deliveries to Iraq as well as targeted airstrikes to protect U.S. personnel from ISIL. U.S. Central Command directed the operations. (DoD photo by Staff Sgt. Sean K. Harp, U.S. Army/Released)