US-led airstrikes target IS in Syria, Iraq

The US and its allies conducted 74 airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria and Iraq over the past five days, the US defence department said Tuesday.

Coalition fighter jets conducted 38 airstrikes near Kobane, Abu Kamal, Aleppo and Hasakah areas in Syria, while they conducted 36 airstrikes in Iraq, including those on Mosul, Al Qaim, Taji, Mosul and Sinjar areas, the Pentagon said in a statement.

The strikes were conducted between Jan 16 and Jan 20, according to the statement.

The airstrikes in Syria destroyed 19 IS fighting positions along with 23 tactical units, six vehicles, a checkpoint, six staging positions, a tank and a mortar system, which belonged to the IS, the statement added.

It added that the strikes in Iraq hit 21 tactical units, three vehicles, eight fighting positions, a checkpoint, an artillery system, three armoured vehicles and two mortar systems of the IS and destroyed 18 IS buildings.

The US-led strikes were part of an operation to eliminate the terrorist group, which controls territories in Syria and Iraq and had declared an Islamic caliphate in the areas under its control in the two countries.

Coalition nations conducting airstrikes in Iraq include the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Britain, while those conducting airstrikes in Syria include the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).