US targets Daesh in Iraq, Syria with 14 strikes: Reports
The United States has conducted at least 14 airstrikes against Daesh (ISIL) terrorists in Iraq and Syria, the US-led international coalition fighting against ISIL has said in a statement.
Thirteen strikes were carried out near seven Iraqi cities, including Ramadi, Sinjar and Hit, according to the statement released on Friday, according to the Reuters news agency.
The airstrikes targeted Daesh tactical units and destroyed or damaged a dozen fighting positions as well as several weapons and supply targets, it said.
According to the statement, one strike was staged near Mar'a, Syria, that targeted another of the terrorist group's tactical units.
On Thursday, the US conducted airstrikes against Daesh chemical weapons facilities, after using information obtained from a captured terrorist.
Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said on Thursday the warplanes targeted the sites after acquiring essential information from captured senior Daesh militant Sulayman Dawud al-Bakkar, also known as Abu Dawud, AFP reported.
Abu Dawud, who was reportedly captured by US special forces during an operation in February, is said to be a chemical weapons expert of the terrorist group in Iraq.
The Pentagon spokesman said the Daesh operative provided details about the group’s chemical weapon sites and production, as well as the people involved.
Cook called Abu Dawud "ISIL's emir of chemical and traditional weapons manufacturing."
Daesh terrorists, who were initially trained by the CIA in Jordan in 2012 to destabilize the Syrian government, now control large parts of Iraq and Syria. They are engaged in crimes against humanity in the areas under their control.
US warplanes have been conducting airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq since August of 2014. Some Western states have also participated in some of the strikes in Iraq.
Since September 2014, the US and some of its Arab allies have been carrying out airstrikes against Daesh inside Syria without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.
The US-led coalition has done little to stop the Daesh's advances in parts of Syria and in Iraq.
Some analysts have criticized the US-led military campaign, saying the strikes are only meant to benefit US weapons manufacturers.
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