reporter: now isis militants threaten the capital of northern iraq, erbil, where u.s. has key outposts with military con sult ants and a consulate. i directed our military to take targeted strikes against convoys should they move toward the city. reporter: but the president reiterated, american combat troops will not be sent back into war in iraq. karen travers, abc news, washington. let s continue our coverage on the american military action in iraq with abc s mary bruce, live in washington. mary, good morning. the president authorizing these strikes against the militants if they move in on erbil. how important is that city? and how likely are the strikes? reporter: erbil is so important because there are americans there. the u.s. has a consulate there. and we know that 40 military officers are stationed there, as well. now, keep in mind, the president s top priority is to keep americans safe. now, to get a sense of how quickly this is escalating, think about this. it s be