Iraq launches air strike against ISIS in Syria

An image grab taken from a video released by the Iraqi Security Media Centre early on May 25, 2018, shows an air strike by the Iraqi air force targeting a huge building in the Syrian area of Hajin, near the border with Iraq. AFPShow less

Iraq launched an air strike against ISIS in neighbouring Syria on Thursday.

An F-16 fighter jet destroyed an area where members of the extremist group were operating, the military said in a statement.

Even though ISIS — which once occupied a third of Iraq — has been largely defeated in the country, the group still poses a threat along its border with Syria.

The Iraqi air force has carried out a number of strikes against ISIS in Syria since last year, with the approval of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad and the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.

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Iraqi air strike targets ISIS position in Syria, Abadi says

Iraqi jets strike ISIS command centre in Syria

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Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi declared victory over ISIS in December after security forces seized the last pockets of Iraqi territory held by the militants. However, the extremist group has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across the country.

ISIS has resorted to guerrilla tactics since it abandoned its goal of holding territory and creating a self-sufficient caliphate that straddles Iraq and Syria.

Iraq has good relations with Iran and Russia, Mr Al Assad's main backers in the seven-year-old civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the US-led coalition fighting ISIS.