BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi warplanes attacked an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria on Thursday, Baghdad’s military said, in a rare air assault across the border.

Iraqi F-16 jets targeted the militants near the city of Hajin in coordination with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Both governments have been fighting the hardline group, which declared a caliphate on both their territories in 2014 before it was forced back by an international offensive.

“Carrying out air strikes on Daesh gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces,” the Iraqi military said in a statement.

Daesh in an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The U.S.-led coalition also fighting Islamic State said it gave the Iraqi mission intelligence support.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his country would “take all necessary measures if they threaten the security of Iraq,” referring to the jihadist militants who just three years ago overran a third of Iraq.

The prime minister declared final victory over the ultra hardline group in December but it still poses a threat from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq.

Iraq currently has good relations with Iran and Russia, Assad’s main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Last year, Iraqi warplanes carried out at least one strike on Islamic State targets inside Syria, also in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government.</s>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi warplanes attacked an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria on Thursday, Baghdad’s military said, in a rare air assault across the border.

Iraqi F-16 jets targeted the militants near the city of Hajin in coordination with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

Both governments have been fighting the hardline group, which declared a caliphate on both their territories in 2014 before it was forced back by an international offensive.

“Carrying out air strikes on Daesh gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces,” the Iraqi military said in a statement.

Daesh in an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

The U.S.-led coalition also fighting Islamic State said it gave the Iraqi mission intelligence support.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his country would “take all necessary measures if they threaten the security of Iraq,” referring to the jihadist militants who just three years ago overran a third of Iraq.

The prime minister declared final victory over the ultra hardline group in December but it still poses a threat from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq.

Iraq currently has good relations with Iran and Russia, Assad’s main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the U.S.-led coalition.

Last year, Iraqi warplanes carried out at least one strike on Islamic State targets inside Syria, also in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government.</s>BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi warplanes attacked an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria on Thursday, Baghdad's military said, in a rare air assault across the border.

 Iraqi F-16 jets targeted the militants near the city of Hajin in coordination with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

 Both governments have been fighting the hardline group, which declared a caliphate on both their territories in 2014 before it was forced back by an international offensive.

 "Carrying out air strikes on Daesh gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces," the Iraqi military said in a statement.

 Daesh in an Arabic acronym for Islamic State.

 The U.S.-led coalition also fighting Islamic State said it gave the Iraqi mission intelligence support.

 Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his country would "take all necessary measures if they threaten the security of Iraq," referring to the jihadist militants who just three years ago overran a third of Iraq.

 The prime minister declared final victory over the ultra hardline group in December but it still poses a threat from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq.

 Iraq currently has good relations with Iran and Russia, Assad's main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the U.S.-led coalition.

 Last year, Iraqi warplanes carried out at least one strike on Islamic State targets inside Syria, also in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government.

 

 (Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Andrew Heavens)</s>Iraqi warplanes pounded Islamic State positions in eastern Syria with deadly airstrikes Thursday, the Iraqi government said.

The Iraqi army and Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) stationed in the bordering province of Anbar have fired rockets at IS pockets in Syria in the past, but the airstrikes were the first by Iraq in its neighboring country.

"Conducting airstrikes against IS gangs in the Syrian territory is due to the threat of these gangs to Iraqi soil, and demonstrates the increased capabilities of our courageous armed forces in the pursuit and elimination of terrorism," a statement from Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office read.

The statement said Iraqi F-16 planes conducted the airstrikes based on orders from Abadi and in coordination with the Syrian government.

The Iraqi defense ministry said the strikes targeted IS gatherings in the town of Hajin, south of Deir el-Zour along the Euphrates River in Syria. Raw video footage and images published by the ministry showed Iraqi jets darting through the sky and, in a separate video, dropping a bomb on a building.

The ministry said the operation was planned and carried out by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, based on intelligence provided by the U.S.-led coalition.

A statement from the coalition said the airstrikes demonstrated Iraq's commitment to destroying remnants of the Islamic State terror group in the region.

"This operation highlights the capabilities of Iraq's armed forces to aggressively pursue Daesh [IS] and to maintain their country's internal security," said U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General Robert B. Sofge, deputy commanding general of the coalition's operations.

IS has lost most of its territory in Syria and was declared defeated in Iraq last December. But its remnants are taking refuge across the vast border region between Iraq and Syria and carry out periodic terror attacks.</s>BAGHDAD - Iraq's airforce carried out "deadly" airstrikes on Islamic State positions inside neighboring Syria on Thursday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said.



The airstrikes were launched "from the Iraqi side of the border," it said in a statement.</s>BAGHDAD, April 19 (Reuters) - Iraq’s airforce carried out “deadly” airstrikes on Islamic State positions inside neighbouring Syria on Thursday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said.

The airstrikes were launched “from the Iraqi side of the border”, it said in a statement. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli Editing by Ahmed Aboulenein and Gareth Jones)</s>Iraqi warplanes attacked an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria on Thursday, Baghdad’s military said, in a rare air assault across the border. Iraqi F-16 jets targeted the militants near the city of Hajin in coordination with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, an Iraqi military spokesman said. Both governments have been fighting the hardline group, which declared a caliphate on both their territories in 2014 before it was forced back by an international offensive.

“Carrying out air strikes on Daesh gangs in Syrian territories is because of the dangers posed by said gangs to Iraqi territories and is proof of the improved capabilities of our armed forces,” the Iraqi military said in a statement. Daesh in an Arabic acronym for Islamic State. The U.S.-led coalition also fighting Islamic State said it gave the Iraqi mission intelligence support. Earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his country would “take all necessary measures if they threaten the security of Iraq,” referring to the jihadist militants who just three years ago overran a third of Iraq.

The prime minister declared final victory over the ultra hardline group in December but it still poses a threat from pockets along the border with Syria and has continued to carry out ambushes, assassinations and bombings across Iraq. Iraq currently has good relations with Iran and Russia, Assad’s main backers in the seven-year-old Syrian civil war, while also enjoying strong support from the U.S.-led coalition. Last year, Iraqi warplanes carried out at least one strike on Islamic State targets inside Syria, also in coordination with the U.S.-led coalition and with the approval of the Syrian government.</s>The Iraqi air force on Thursday carried out a "deadly raid" against positions of the Daesh terror group in neighboring Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's office said.

The strike against the terrorists was conducted on Abadi's order "because of the danger they pose to Iraqi territory," a statement said.

"The strikes against Daesh gangs in the Syrian territory is due to the threat these gangs pose to Iraqi territory, and demonstrates the increased capabilities of our valiant armed forces in pursuing and eliminating terrorism," read a tweet on Abadi's office account.

It added that these strikes "will accelerate the elimination" of Daesh's presence in the region.

The strikes on Daesh positions in Syria were carried out in coordination with Bashar al-Assad's regime, an Iraqi military spokesman told Reuters.

The Iraqi air force used F16 jets to cross into Syria and carry out the strikes, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said.

Iraq has carried out airstrikes against Daesh targets inside Syria last year.

Baghdad declared victory over the terrorist group in December with the help of a U.S.-led alliance, having retaken all the territory captured by Daesh in 2014 and 2015.

Cells believed to be linked to Daesh have since mounted scattered attacks in different parts of Iraq.</s>The Iraqi air force on Thursday carried out a “deadly raid” against positions of the Islamic State group in neighboring Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said.

Abadi ruled the strike against the jihadists “because of the danger they pose to Iraqi territory,” a statement said.

“These raids demonstrate the growing capacity of our armed forces to hunt down and liquidate terrorists,” it added.

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Iraq declared victory in December against IS, which launched a sweeping offensive in 2014 and at one point curbed a third of the country.

The jihadists still regulating pockets of desert along the border with Syria, where Iraq had already carried out limited raids against IS before Thursday’s strike.</s>The Iraqi air force on Thursday carried out a “deadly raid” against positions of the Islamic State group in neighbouring Syria, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said.

Abadi ordered the strike against the jihadists “because of the danger they pose to Iraqi territory,” a statement said.

A video released by the air force showed two F-16 fighter jets in action.

“These raids demonstrate the growing capacity of our armed forces to hunt down and liquidate terrorists,” it added.

Iraq declared victory in December against IS, which launched a sweeping offensive in 2014 and at one point controlled a third of the country.

The jihadists still control pockets of desert along the border with Syria, where Iraq had already carried out limited raids against IS before Thursday’s strike.
Iraqi Air Force F-16 jets attack an Islamic State explosives factory and other positions inside Syria near the city of Hajin in coordination with the Syrian Armed Forces.