French fighter jets yesterday struck targets in Iraq and the US and its allies stepped up air raids in Syria against Islamic State (IS) militants who have taken over large areas of both countries.
France’s strikes were its first since Friday last week when Paris joined the US military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and followed the beheading of a French tourist, reported late on Wednesday, in Algeria in retaliation.
Overnight, US-led air strikes in eastern Syria killed 14 Islamic State fighters, according to a monitoring group, while on the ground, Kurdish forces were reported to have pushed back an advance by the militants toward the border town of Kobani.
Photo: AFP
A third night of air raids by the US and its allies targeted Islamic State-controlled oil refineries in three remote locations in eastern Syria to try to cut off a major source of revenue for the al-Qaeda offshoot, US officials said.
The air raids follow growing alarm in Western and Arab capitals at the Islamic State’s rapid military gains in Iraq and Syria, and the beheadings of US and British hostages posted on the Internet.
US President Barack Obama has vowed to keep up military pressure against the group, which advanced through Kurdish areas of northern Iraq this week despite the airstrikes.
About 140,000 refugees have fled to Turkey, many telling of villages burned and captives beheaded.
“The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force, so the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death,” Obama said at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said he wanted Britain to join the strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq after the Baghdad government requested London’s help. He recalled parliament to secure its approval for military action on Friday.
A government spokesman gave no details of the French raids on Iraq, and France has so far ruled out joining raids on the Islamic State in Syria.
However, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian opened the door to possibly joining strikes in Syria, hours after a French tourist was beheaded by an Algerian militant group citing Paris’ military action against the Islamic State in Iraq.
The death of French tourist, Herve Gourdel, who was beheaded in Algeria 24 hours after an ultimatum was given to France to halt attacks in Iraq, appeared to toughen Paris’ resolve.
“The opportunity is not there today. We already have an important task in Iraq and we will see in the coming days how the situation evolves,” Le Drian told RTL radio.
Pressed on whether it was a possibility in the future, Le Drian, who is taking part in a war Cabinet meeting yesterday, said: “The question is on the table.”
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