Coalition forces hit 22 Islamic State targets in Iraq, 3 in Syria

American and coalition jets struck 22 targets in Iraq and three targets in Syria, according to a press statement from the Department of Defense issued Saturday.

In Syria, fighter jets and unmanned attack vehicles struck two crude oil collection points near Abu Kamal, not far from the Syrian-Iraqi border.

In a separate strike near Al Hasakah, an airstrike destroyed an Islamic State car bomb, said officers from the high command of Operation Inherent Resolve, as the American campaign against IS is called.

In a much larger string of attacks in Iraq, jets, drones and other aircraft conducted 22 airstrikes coordinated with the Iraqi government.

Among the targets were Islamic State tactical units, car bombs, anti-artillery systems the terror group had stolen and fighting positions, according to the release.

Among other weapons destroyed was an armored personnel carrier, heavy machine guns and ammunition caches.

According to the press release from the Department of Defense, the attacks “further limit the terrorist group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations.”

The members of the coalition fighting in Iraq, apart from the US, are Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

In Syria, the strikes were conducted by soldiers from the US, Bahrain, Canada, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

On Wednesday last week, coalition forces bombed a key jihadist command and supply hub in the area of Ramadi, capital of Iraq’s Anbar province.

A video of the strike on the football stadium showed a massive secondary explosion at the site.

“The stadium was a key (IS) command and supply hub in the Ramadi region and was being used to store large amounts of homemade explosives, weapons and ammunition,” the coalition said in a statement.

“Destroying this hub will significantly disrupt (IS’s) ability to conduct operations and resupply their fighters in Ramadi.”

IS overran Ramadi in mid-May in a major setback for Iraqi forces, which had held out against militants in parts of the city for well over a year.

The group seized swaths of Iraqi territory in a June 2014 offensive, and coalition forces are carrying out daily air strikes against the jihadists to assist Iraqi forces, which have made little progress on the ground in recent weeks.

— AFP contributed to this report.