Any movement of an aircraft carrier raises the possibility of airstrikes, CNN reported Friday citing a US official Friday and noting that Obama did not rule out an air strike in his Thursday remarks.

Obama said he was mulling all options on Iraq, saying, "I don't rule anything out." His spokesman, Jay Carney, later clarified, saying the president is not considering putting troops on the ground.

Obama said he was looking at a “range of options,” on how to respond to the crisis but ruled out sending US troops back into combat and said any intervention would be contingent on Iraqi leaders becoming more involved.

Obama did not describe the “range of options” he is considering to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), a group he described as “vicious” and a “terrorist organization” that could eventually pose a threat to Americans.

He said Iraqi leaders needed to set aside sectarian differences to deal with the threat, and said the United States would engage in “intensive diplomacy” in the region to try to prevent the situation from worsening.

“The United States is not simply going to involve itself in a military action in the absence of a political plan by the Iraqis that gives us some assurance that they are prepared to work together,” Obama told reporters at the White House.

He said he was concerned that ISIL could try to overrun Shiite sacred sites, creating sectarian conflicts “that could be very hard to stamp out.” The rebels are Takfiri extremists and try to topple the Baghdad government.

NTJ/MB