U.S.-led forces carry out 13 more airstrikes in Syria and Iraq

USPA News - The United States and its coalition partners have carried out more than a dozen new airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and northern Syria, targeting buildings, vehicles and fighting positions, the U.S. military said on Sunday, though details about casualties were not available. In Syria, eight airstrikes centered on the city of Kobani near the Turkish border, destroying a building, thirteen jihadist fighting positions and one heavy machine gun.

The airstrikes also struck three jihadist fighting positions and a large jihadist unit, the Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) reported. The other five airstrikes were carried out in neighboring Iraq, where one airstrike near the town of Ar Rutbah in western Al Anbar province destroyed a bunker and a vehicle. Two airstrikes near the town of Al Qaim, which is close to the Syrian border, destroyed three guard shacks used by jihadists, while an airstrike near Sinjar destroyed a jihadist fighting position and struck a jihadist tactical unit. The fifth airstrike in Iraq was carried out near Mosul, which is the largest city under the control of the Islamic State group, and destroyed a jihadist fighting position. Details about casualties and damages from coalition airstrikes are almost impossible to independently confirm due to the lack of access to journalists, but the Britain-based monitoring group SOHR reported on Tuesday that it had documented at least 1,171 fatalities in coalition airstrikes in Syria since September 23. It said nearly all of those killed belonged to the Islamic State, but the figure also includes 52 civilians.