MOSCOW, September 17 (RIA Novosti) - The US-led coalition against the Islamic State (IS) is ready to expand its strikes to Syria, but will "under no circumstances" target any positions other than the extremist group's sites, Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister told Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency.
"Attacks will be carried out against Islamic State sites, and this organization threatens everyone. Under no circumstances will they target any other positions, just the places where terrorists are located. And this, in our opinion, poses no particular problem. The position of the Government of Syria when it comes to this, of course, is well known," Iraq's newly appointed Deputy Prime Minsiter Hoshyar Zebari told the agency.
"As far as I know from those who have developed the strategy against the Islamic State, a decision has already been made that attacks against the group will be carried out wherever [IS sites] are located. Of course, this should conform with international law and international obligations. But the fight against terrorism, to be honest, sometimes knows no boundaries," Zebari said.
The Islamic State, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), is a Sunni jihadist group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012. In June 2014, the group extended its attacks to northern and western Iraq, declaring a caliphate on the territories under its control later that month.
US President Barack Obama unveiled his strategy for defeating the Islamic State on September 10. Obama's plan includes forming an international coalition to fight the radical organization and authorizing US airstrikes against IS positions in Syria, while simultaneously continuing airstrikes in Iraq.
Syrian authorities have warned that any foreign military action on Syrian territory would be considered an act of aggression unless approved by Damascus.
