Iraq Air Force: Further strikes on IS positions in Syria ‘in coming days’

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Air Force said it planned to carry out further raids on Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria “in the coming days” following a cross-border operation against the group on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said the Iraqi army launched strikes on IS targets in Syria after coordination with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

“The strikes were aimed at accelerating the elimination of the militant organization in the region after its military defeat in Iraq,” the statement said.

At the beginning of the month, Abadi said his government would “take all necessary measures” if the extremist group threatens the security of Iraq.

Meanwhile, an Iraqi military spokesperson told Reuters that Iraqi F-16 warplanes crossed into Syria to carry out the attack with approval from the Syrian government.

“Carrying out air strikes on [IS] gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces,” the Iraqi military said in a statement.

On Monday, IS-affiliated media claimed the group overran a Syrian army checkpoint near the city of Albu Kamal along the Iraqi border, killing hundreds and recapturing some territory.

Iraq’s Air Force has carried out air strikes against IS in Syria before. In 2017, the Iraqi government announced that the cross-border air raids were launched in coordination with Assad’s government.

Iraq has witnessed an IS resurgence of its own in recent weeks with the group claiming a string of bombings, assassinations, and kidnappings in areas previously liberated by Iraqi forces.