The U.S. along with Arab allies launched air strikes against the Islamic State in Syria late on Monday, according to a Pentagon statement.
The action is being seen here as consistent with President Barack Obama’s recent promise to “degrade and ultimately destroy,” the group that now controls vast tracts of Syria and Iraq.
Pentagon Press Secretary Adm. John Kirby said on Tuesday that 14 air strikes were carried out against IS targets — many in the vicinity of Raqqa, the group’s stronghold in northern Syria — using “a mix of fighter and bomber aircraft and Tomahawk Land Attack missiles.”
It said the strikes “destroyed or damaged multiple ISIL targets in the vicinity of Ar Raqqah, Dayr az Zawr, Al Hasakah, and Abu Kamal and included ISIL fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance centre, supply trucks and armed vehicles.”
Read: >Obama's Syrian dilemma
In a statement on Tuesday, moments before he left for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Obama emphasised that Washington was one among a broad coalition of nations fighting IS, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar.
He said, “The strength of this coalition makes it clear to the world that this is not America’s fight alone. Above all, the people and governments in the Middle East are rejecting ISIL and standing up for the peace and security that the people of the region and the world deserve.”
The President added that in total, over 40 nations had offered to help in a comprehensive effort to confront this terrorist threat.
While India is not on the list of nations comprising this effort, Mr. Obama is expected to bring up the question of participation when he meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on September 29.
Syria Timeline: >Part 1 (1920 to 1960) and >Part 2 (1961 to date)
