US launches 22 air strikes against IS positions in Iraq

October 26, 2014 07:24 am | Updated May 23, 2016 06:57 pm IST - WASHINGTON

The US military has carried out 22 air strikes against Islamic State (IS) positions in Iraq and one in Syria over the past two days, the US Central Command said on Saturday.

The aerial bombardment in Syria took place near the Kurdish city of Kobani and destroyed an IS artillery piece, CENTCOM, which is coordinating the US campaign against the Sunni militants said in a statement.

Kobani is one of the militants’ strategic enclaves due to its location on the border with Turkey and, according to the Pentagon, has become the main target of its air strikes in Syria, Xinhua reported.

In Iraq, an air strike to the southeast of the strategic Mosul dam struck a large IS unit, while 10 other attacks to the west of that hydroelectric facility destroyed a building, six combat positions and two staging locations used by the jihadis, CENTCOM said.

Three other air strikes were carried out to the south of the Baiji oil refinery and struck two IS combat units, destroyed a building, damaged another and wiped out two of the jihadis’ mortar positions, according to the statement.

Among other air strikes, the US military also targeted IS positions near the central city of Fallujah.

Other members of the US-led international coalition that are conducting air strikes in Iraq include France, Britain, Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands.

In Syria, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain are also conducting airstrikes.

The Sunni extremists took control of a large swath of northern Iraq, including Mosul, a city of more than 1 million people, in June.

IS, a coalition of jihadis, tribal militias and veterans of the late Saddam Hussein’s army, has proclaimed a caliphate in the parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq under its control.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.