Syria, US Strikes Target Islamic State Group
by VOA News September 06, 2014
The U.S. military has launched more airstrikes against Islamic State militants in northern Iraq, targeting fighters and military hardware near the northern town of Irbil.
The U.S. Central Command has described the attacks as 'a mix of attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft,' saying the flights occurred Friday and Saturday.
In nearby Syria, monitors say Syrian government airstrikes targeting the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa killed at least 25 people, including 16 civilians.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the civilians died in the bombing of a bakery operated by the extremist group. Other strikes hit an Islamic State training camp and a government finance building used as an Islamic court.
Quoting activists on the ground, Rami Abdulrahman, founder of the Observatory, said the bakery was run by the militant group. He said those killed included at least eight civilians and an unknown number of Islamic State activists.
Raqqa is the main Syrian foothold of Islamic State, where it provides electricity and water, pays salaries, controls traffic, and runs nearly everything from bakeries and banks to schools, courts and mosques.
The militants — seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate — have recently seized large swaths of northwestern Iraq and eastern Syria.
Their push has triggered a mass exodus of refugees from the region and near-global condemnation for their murderous tactics.
U.S. President Barack Obama is seeking to build an international coalition to fight the jihadists in Iraq.
The Syrian government has said it should be a partner in the fight against Islamic State. But Western states that have backed the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad have dismissed the idea of cooperating with Damascus and describe Assad as part of the problem.
Portions of this story are excerpted from Reuters wire reports.
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