U.S. air strikes against the rebel group ISIS in Iraq are moving into their fifth wave after several previous air strikes have already destroyed strategic targets in the area. President Barak Obama says that the mission in Iraq won't include sending in troops, but the bombing could last a while.

"The Pentagon declined to comment on the claims by Iraqi health and civil defense officials in Mosul, who told CNN the air strikes killed at least 16 of the fighters," CNN.com reported.  The air strikes are meant to help Kurdish troops who are attempting to rescue the minority groups being targeted by ISIS.

The president said that what he is telling every faction in Iraq is: "We will be your partners, but we are not going to do it for you. We're not sending a bunch of U.S. troops back on the ground to keep a lid on things," the New York Times reported. The U.S. is helping to defend the Yazidis people, a minority group that follows an ancient religion.

According to a statement from United States Military Command, the most recent wave of air strikes occurred in Iraq's Sinjar region on Saturday morning. U.S. planes targeted and struck two ISIS armored vehicles that were firing on Yazidis people. There was a followup round of air strikes some 20 minutes later when two more armored vehicles ventured into the area, according to the statement. 

"I don't think we're going to solve this problem in weeks," Obama said at a press conference on Saturday. In his remarks Obama also stated there have also been two humanitarian airdrops providing aid to the Yazidis.

With some 40,000 Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar and hiding from marauding ISIS rebels set on killing the group, a United Nations official told CNN that the air strikes and humanitarian airdrops might not be enough. A total of 60 children have reportedly already died on the mountain. The Yazidis people fled to the mountain when ISIS overran their town.

"We are running out of time for thousands who can obviously not be reached by these airdrops," Marizio Babille of UNICEF said.