US Launches 2nd Round of Syria Airstikes
by VOA News September 24, 2014
A U.S.-led coalition bombed Islamic State targets in Syria for a second day on Wednesday, targeting the militants' transportation capabilities.
U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, reports an airstrike in eastern Syria damaged eight vehicles that the Pentagon says were being used to move equipment into Iraq.
The latest bombing is the 20th in Syria since Tuesday, when Washington and five Arab allies began the air campaign by bombing Islamic State training facilities and command centers.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby says the U.S. also struck IS targets in Iraq on Wednesday near the Kurdish city of Irbil, and the capital, Baghdad.
The Islamic State has claimed territory in both countries in recent months.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports 120 militants belonging to the Islamic State and al-Qaida were killed in the first day of strikes.
The U.S. said Tuesday it attacked the Islamic State in Syria because the Syrian government cannot and will not stop the militants from setting up safe havens.
The initial strikes in Syria included help from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands to contribute F-16s
The Dutch government on Wednesday will discuss contributing four F-16 fighter jets to the U.S.-led military operation against Islamic State, national news agency ANP reported.
A special cabinet meeting was called by the government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte for later Wednesday to consider what role the Netherlands should play in the air strikes against insurgents in Iraq and Syria.
The Netherlands was not among the nations approached by U.S. President Obama at a NATO meeting in Wales earlier this month, when he was building a coalition of allies against the hardline Islamic offshoot of al-Qaida.
The Dutch contribution had been on the agenda for a weekly cabinet meeting on Friday, but was brought forward in view of developments on the ground in Syria.
Dutch military participation would also have to be approved by the 150-seat parliament.
Some material for this report came from Reuters
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