U.S.-led Raids on Syria Killed 14 Jihadists, 5 Civilians
A series of strikes in Syria overnight by a U.S.-led coalition killed 14 jihadists from the Islamic State group and five civilians, a monitoring group said on Thursday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the militants were killed in strikes in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, and the civilians died in raids in northeastern Hasakeh.
The strikes largely targeted oil facilities captured by the Islamic State group (IS), though Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said at least one IS checkpoint was among the targets hit during the night.
Among the civilians killed in Hasakeh was a child, he added.
On Wednesday, Pentagon officials announced that the U.S. and Arab allies had resumed bombing raids that began a day earlier, hitting oil facilities held by IS.
Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told CNN that the raids focused on 12 targets he described as "modular oil refineries".
IS militants have seized a series of oil facilities and fields and are believed to sell oil on the black market to bring in revenue.
The overnight strikes involved aircraft from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, members of the U.S.-led coalition, Pentagon officials said.
Source: Agence France Presse
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