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The United States, along with its Arab allies, on Tuesday unleashed deadly missile and bomb strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria, opening a new battlefront for the extremist group.
Several dozens of al-Qaeda and IS were reportedly targeted in the raids, which the US has said partly targeted militants plotting an “imminent attack” against the West.
The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain have joined the US-led coalition in an operation which involved bombers, drones, fighter jets and US warships firing Tomahawk missiles. The strikes mark a crucial turn in the war against the IS – the five Arab countries joining the coalition are all Sunni-ruled, in a move of symbolic importance in their fight against the pre-dominantly Sunni IS.
Washington was reluctant to send strikes in Syria, but was forced into actions after the extremists captured territory in the country and committed abhorrent atrocities against Western hostages. The Syrian regime gave a muted response to the strikes, and said that it was notified in advance and that it supported “any international effort” against the extremists.
The Pentagon has said that the raids have completely destroyed and damaged IS positions, command vehicles, armed vehicles and training compounds in their stronghold of Raqa and near the Iraqi border.
Anti-regime activist Abu Yusef, based in Raqa, said that the IS had redeployed their fighters in response to the strikes.
“The impact of the strikes has been huge. (They) are focused on trying to save themselves now”, he said.
British monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the strikes prompted several residents in the region to run away from the homes.
“Civilians who live near IS positions across Syria have fled”, the monitoring group’s director Rami Abdel Rahman said.
Washington has said that it launched 14 air strikes on IS targets, including 47 Tomahawk missiles, around their stronghold of Raqa, and in Hasakeh, Albu Kama and Deir Ezzor along the Iraqi border.