U.S.-Led Coalition Air Strikes Hit IS In Iraq, Syria

The United States and its coalition allies targeted Islamic State (IS) militants with 23 air strikes in Iraq and eight in Syria in the past 24 hours.

The U.S. military said on July 18 that it had attacked IS and its military sites near the cities of Tal Afar and Ramadi the previous day.

U.S. Colonel Wayne Morotto, a spokesman for the Combined Joint Task Force that targets IS, said the strikes had taken "a heavy toll on this brutal enemy."

Morotto said 10 of the air strikes near Tal Afar had destroyed an IS building and vehicles and damaged tactical units, weapon depots, and a command and control center.

He added that five bomb attacks near Ramadi -- which is held by IS fighters -- had destroyed improvised explosive devices and several vehicles.

Morotto said coalition forces had also launched eight air strikes in Syria with five hitting targets near Al-Hasakah.

Based on reporting by Reuters