US-led air strikes hit IS targets in Syria and Iraq

WASHINGTON: The United States and coalition partners launched six air strikes against Islamic State targets in Syria, and 12 more in Iraq as they kept up pressure on the insurgent group, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

Among the strikes, which occurred between 8 a.m. local time Wednesday and 8 a.m. on Thursday, were five near Kobani, striking an Islamic State fighting position, three tactical units and a large unit, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.

The Pentagon said this week the militants had been driven out of 90 percent of Kobani, a city near the border with Turkey where fighting has raged for four months.

The air strikes in Iraq, where Islamic State has captured a swath of territory, hit near Al Asad, Ar Rutbah, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, hitting targets including Islamic State tactical units, buildings, vehicles and a weapons storage facility, the task force said. (Reuters)