Iraq launches airstrike against ISIS target in Syria – military

Iraq has launched an airstrike on an Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) target inside neighboring Syria on Thursday, the military said. F-16 fighter jets destroyed a building where members of the ultra-hardline Sunni group’s leadership were operating, according to a statement. The warplanes “bombed this morning on Thursday a so-called command and control center containing leaders and fighters belonging to [IS] terrorist gang in the Hajin inside Syrian territory,” the military said. The Iraqi Air Force carried out several airstrikes against IS in Syria since last year, with the approval of the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and the US-led coalition, Reuters said. IS, which once occupied a third of Iraq’s territory, has been largely defeated in the country but still poses a threat along its border with Syria.