Update”
Reuters reports:
Several Arab nations are involved in the ongoing U.S.-led operation, a defense official said. A diplomatic source identified the nations as Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
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Another U.S. official said the Arab nations will be dropping bombs, not just providing support. Up to 20 locations have been targeted in the operation, many of the sites in Raqqa, the official said.
ABC News has just reported that American airstrikes against ISIL targets are underway in Syria.
NBC News has a somewhat more extensive report:
The United States launched airstrikes in Syria against ISIS targets, sources tell NBC News. The U.S. military plans to strike up to 20 targets — logistics, fuel and weapons depots; training sites; troop encampments; command and control sites; and headquarters for the Sunni fighters.
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The U.S. military will deploy manned and unmanned air assets, including F-22s, B-1 bombers, F-16s, F-15s and F/A-18s. The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush is at the ready in the Persian Gulf, and the USS Arleigh Burke, a guided missile destroyer that fires Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAMs), is in the Red Sea.
The U.S. military hammered Islamic State targets in Syria late Monday, as the war ordered by President Obama against the militant organization took on an urgent new phase.
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The attack, carried out by warplanes dropping bombs and ships firing cruise missiles, hit about 20 IS targets, including headquarters buildings for the militants who have based their movement in Syria, according to a senior Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly about the attack.
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The Pentagon acknowledged responsibility for the attack in a brief statement.
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The strikes in Syria were not invited by the government of Bashar Assad who is waging a brutal civil war against opponents of his regime, including IS militants. It’s unclear how Assad will react to the U.S-led attacks. His military possesses sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, although most of them are near the capital of Damascus and near the border with Israel.
Updates to follow.
Lead photo: F/A-18C Hornets prepare for takeoff during operations aboard USS George H.W. Bush in the Arabian Gulf during an earlier air strike. Photo DoD
