MOSCOW, September 24 (RIA Novosti) - The United States and members of the international coalition against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group have carried out airstrikes against IS insurgents in Syria, Sky News Arabia reported Wednesday.
Citing a source in Syria, Sky News Arabia said the strikes targeted the Syrian cities of, Ayn al-Arab, Serrin and Qara Qozak and the suburbs of Aleppo, all under control of the militants. The number of casualties has not been specified yet.
Earlier in the week, the United States and its Arab allies Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates hit the IS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist targets using aircraft, drones and Tomahawk missiles, killing over 70 Islamic State fighters, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The IS jihadist group, formerly known as ISIS and ISIL, has been fighting the Syrian government forces since 2012. In 2014, it launched an offensive on Iraq, proclaiming an Islamic Caliphate. The extremists' advance made Washington begin carrying out airstrikes against IS positions in August.
Subsequently, US President Barack Obama revealed a strategy to fight the IS, which involves a multinational coalition and strikes on Syrian territory, conducted for the first time this week.
