US, allies launch 23 air strikes in Iraq, 3 in Syria against IS
WASHINGTON, January 8, 2016
The US-led coalition launched 23 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and three in Syria on Thursday, the task force leading the operation said in a statement.
The coalition said 22 of the strikes in Iraq were co-ordinated with and in support of the government of Iraq, while one air strike was in support of coalition operations.
They included seven strikes in the Islamic State stronghold of Mosul and six in Ramadi, where Iraqi troops drove out most of the militants last week after a hard-fought offensive, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement on Friday.
In Mosul, the strikes destroyed four Islamic State tactical units, six fighting positions, four assembly areas, a bunker and a tunnel.
In Ramadi, they destroyed 16 fighting positions, 13 heavy machine guns, a dozen improvised explosive devices and denied militants access to terrain, the coalition said.
Other strikes in Iraq hit near Al Qaim, Sinjar, Haditha, Irbil, Kisik, Qayyarah and Sultan Abdallah, it said.
The coalition said air strikes in Syria included two near Ayn Isa, where they destroyed three fighting positions and suppressed a third, and near Manbij, where a strike destroyed three staging areas. - Reuters
