(CNN) -- Is it a response to a potential genocide or an opening to take on the Sunni Islamic extremists rampaging through Iraq? President Barack Obama's decision to authorize airstrikes escalated American military involvement in Iraq, a country he tried to get out of more than two years ago. The first U.S. attacks happened Friday, with F/A-18 jets bombing mobile artillery batteries of ISIS, which refers to itself as the Islamic State. While the administration adamantly reassures Americans that it won't put U.S. boots on the ground, it also has made a compelling case for going after the ISIS threat.
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Administration concerned about possible "genocide" as a result of ISIS
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Obama wants to protect U.S. interests -- consular and military personnel, a key regional ally
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U.S. conducts strikes against ISIS artillery outside Irbil, Iraq
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Hawkish critics call for more action, including extensive strikes in Syria
Obama continues pushing for a political solution in @placeholder, saying U.S. military action can't solve the conflict.
But when asked why the United States was not evacuating @placeholder personnel, a senior administration official said the United States has the wherewithal to protect them and prefers instead to "lay down a marker" before ISIS.