A monitoring group says U.S.-led coalition air strikes early on July 31 destroyed two key bridges used by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in the Syrian city of Albu Kamal, near the Iraqi border.
"These bridges are strategically important for IS's movements between Albu Kamal and Iraq," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Pentagon confirmed strikes in the area, with a senior U.S. officer saying the air raids will have a "profound impact" on IS abilities to carry out operations in the neighboring Iraqi province of Anbar.
The militants seized Albu Kamal and the nearby border crossing in July 2014, linking their territory in the eastern Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor to areas under their control in Anbar.
The coalition said on July 31 that 17 air strikes were carried out near Deir ez-Zor, hitting IS staging areas, bridges, checkpoints, a training center, and a logistics site.
