WATCH: Iraqi jets strike IS positions, missile warehouse in Syria
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi warplanes launched airstrikes on Islamic State (IS) bases inside Syria early Friday morning, according to a military statement.
It is the second military operation carried out by Iraqi aircraft in May, and the fourth against the jihadist group in Syria since last year.
“Iraqi F-16 warplanes carried out airstrikes this morning, targeting a Da'esh terrorist command center, a missile warehouse, and headquarters of the group in Hajin area in Syria,” the Iraqi military revealed, using the pejorative Arabic acronym for IS.
Hajin is located on the Iraqi-Syrian border, where the jihadist group still controls large swathes of territory.
Most Iraqi raids in Syria are concentrated in the Hajin and al-Dashisha, areas where Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are advancing to clear the border region of the jihadist group with the support of the US-led coalition.
“According to preliminary intelligence reports, this operation has achieved its objectives and obliterated the sites,” the statement added.
The Iraqi military also released footage showing the airstrikes targeting a two-story building in Syria.
The statement did not offer any details on IS casualties, but pointed out that the strikes were carried out based on “reliable information.”
The latest Iraqi airstrikes came a day after four people were killed and 15 others injured in an IS suicide bombing targeting the Shia district of Shula in Baghdad.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has repeatedly stated that Iraqi forces will continue to target IS not only in Iraq but everywhere in the region.
Abadi declared final victory over IS in December, but the extremist group still poses a threat to different parts of the country as it continues to carry out ambushes, assassinations, and bombings.
Iraqi cross-border operations are done in coordination with the US-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government.
Baghdad has good relations with Iran and Russia, the Syrian Regime’s main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the coalition.
Editing by Nadia Riva