SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq, Feb 24 (Reuters) - U.S.-backed Iraqi forces pushed into western Mosul on Friday after retaking the city's airport from Islamic State, as aid agencies warned the most dangerous phase of the offensive was about to begin for hundreds of thousands of civilians.

Troops disarmed booby traps planted by retreating militant fighters in the airport, which the army plans to use as a base from which to drive Islamic State from Mosul's western districts and deal a decisive blow to the group.

As they did, Iraqi fighter jets dropped bombs on Islamic State positions inside Syria on Friday. It was the first time the Iraqi government publicly acknowledged striking militant targets inside Syria.

The new offensive comes after government forces and their allies finished clearing Islamic State from eastern Mosul last month, confining the insurgents to the western sector of the city, which is bisected by the Tigris river.

Commanders expect the battle in western Mosul to be more difficult, in part because tanks and armoured vehicles cannot pass through the narrow alleyways that crisscross ancient districts there.

The International Rescue Committee said the most dangerous phase of the battle was about to begin for the 750,000 civilians believed to be trapped inside Mosul.

"There is a real danger that the battle will be raging around them for weeks and possibly months to come," said acting country director Jason Kajer.

The United Nations has warned up to 400,000 civilians could be displaced by the new offensive amid food and fuel shortages.

Iraqi forces launched attacks on several fronts. Counter-terrorism forces clashed with Islamic State inside the southwestern district of al-Mamoun and took full control of the Ghozlani military base on Friday, Major General Sami al-Aridi, a senior commander, told Reuters.

Separately, federal police and an elite Interior Ministry unit known as Rapid Response advanced into the Hawi al-Josaq and al-Danadan districts after breaching a berm and a trench set up by Islamic State north of the airport, a spokesman said.

Early raids in the city's west have so far been restricted to thinly-populated areas. The government encouraged civilians to stay in their homes, but some were caught in the crossfire.

Jamal Abdelnasser, 14, was shot in the leg by Islamic State when the militants stormed his home to take up sniper positions. After crossing the frontline, soldiers unwrapped the blood-soaked bandages around his leg and poured iodine on the bullet wound.

In another incident, a Reuters correspondent saw a dozen civilians fleeing towards Iraqi security forces from the outskirts of Mamoun.

Defeat in Mosul would likely deal a hammer blow to Islamic State's self-styled caliphate in areas it seized in 2014. But the group still controls swathes of territory in neighbouring Syria and patches in northern and western Iraq from where it could fight a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plot attacks on the West.

Iraqi air strikes on Friday targeted Islamic State sites in Syria on Friday, including a factory for making car bombs, said a colonel in Iraq's military intelligence.

"We gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad," Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

A source close to Syria's foreign ministry said the raid had been carried out in "complete coordination" with the Damascus government.

On the ground in Mosul, Western advisors are increasingly present close to the frontline, helping coordinate air strikes and advising Iraqi forces as the battle unfolds.

Islamic State fought back on Friday with suicide car bombs and drones carrying explosives. Aridi, the CTS commander, said the drones were "particularly annoying today".

The campaign involves a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Shi'ite militias and Sunni tribal fighters. It is backed by an international coalition that provides vital air support as well as on-the-ground guidance and training. (Reporting by Stephen Kalin and Isabel Coles, Writing by Ahmed Rasheed; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Richard Lough)</s>Iraq's air force has struck Islamic State targets inside Syria for the first time as Iraqi troops on the ground pushed into western Mosul.

Iraq's Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, announced the air strikes, saying the air force hit the towns of Boukamal and Husseibah across the border. He said they came in response to recent bombings in Baghdad claimed by IS and linked to the militants' operations in Syria.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces pushed into the first neighbourhood of western Mosul and took full control of Mosul's international airport and a sprawling military base on the south-western edge of the city, according to Iraqi officials.

The city is the last major urban stronghold held by the Sunni militant group in Iraq.

The territorial gains mark the first key moves in the battle, now in its sixth day, to rout IS militants from the western half of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city.

The push into Mamun neighbourhood was followed by intense clashes with IS militants, according to an Iraqi special forces officer on the ground.

An Associated Press team near the front line saw at least four wounded special forces members and the bodies of three soldiers, suggesting more intense fighting than the previous day.

Earlier on Friday, the spokesman of the Joint Military Operation Command, Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, said Iraqi forces had also retaken the military base adjacent to the airport.

An Iraqi air force commander said the air strikes against IS Syria were carried out with F-16 warplanes at dawn and "were successful".

The commander said they were conducted at the order of the prime minister.

The advances come a day after special forces joined the fight for western Mosul.

Both the Ghazlani military base and the airport will be key to the next steps in the daunting battle and will serve as a base of operations as Iraqi forces launch subsequent pushes into western Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River into two halves.

Iraqi authorities declared the city's eastern half "fully liberated" from the Sunni militants in January, three months after launching the operation to take back Mosul.

On Thursday, Iraqi special forces joined federal police and rapid response units in the push while the Popular Mobilisation Forces - an umbrella group of government-sanctioned Shiite militias - secured the main roads west of Mosul, largely cutting the city off from IS-held territory in Syria.

The United Nations has estimated that about 750,000 civilians are trapped in western Mosul. The initial numbers of displaced from western Mosul have been low, but Iraqi forces are yet to punch into the city's dense urban neighbourhoods.

The battle for western Mosul is expected to be the most trying yet. The western half of the city is denser with older neighbourhoods and narrower streets that will likely complicate the already difficult urban combat ahead.</s>BAGHDAD—Iraq’s air force struck Daesh targets inside Syria for the first time on Friday as Iraqi troops on the ground pushed into western Mosul, the last major urban stronghold held by the Sunni militant group in Iraq. Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the airstrikes in a statement, saying the air force hit towns of Boukamal and Husseibah across the border and came in response to recent bombings in Baghdad claimed by Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, and linked to the militants’ operations in Syria. Meanwhile, Iraqi forces pushed into the first neighbourhood of western Mosul and took full control of Mosul’s international airport and a sprawling military base on the southwestern edge of the city, according to Iraqi officials.

The territorial gains mark the first key moves in the battle, now in its sixth day, to rout Daesh militants from the western half of Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city. The push into Mamun neighbourhood was followed by intense clashes with Daesh militants, according to an Iraqi special forces officer on the ground, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

An Associated Press team near the front line saw at least four wounded special forces’ members and the bodies of three soldiers, suggesting more intense fighting than the previous day. Iraq’s military does not release official casualty information. Earlier on Friday, the spokesman of the Joint Military Operation Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said Iraqi forces had also retaken the military base adjacent to the airport. An Iraqi air force commander said the airstrikes against Daesh Syria were carried out with F-16 warplanes at dawn and “were successful.” The commander, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media, said they were conducted at the order of the prime minister.

The advances come a day after special forces joined the fight for western Mosul. Both the Ghazlani military base and the airport will be key to the next steps in the daunting battle and will serve as a base of operations as Iraqi forces launch subsequent pushes into western Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River into two halves. Iraqi authorities declared the city’s eastern half “fully liberated” from the Sunni militants in January, three months after launching the operation to take back Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city. On Thursday, Iraqi special forces joined federal police and rapid response units in the push while the Popular Mobilization Forces — an umbrella group of government-sanctioned Shiite militias — secured the main roads west of Mosul, largely cutting the city off from Daesh-held territory in Syria. The United Nations estimated that about 750,000 civilians are trapped in western Mosul. The initial numbers of displaced from western Mosul have been low, but Iraqi forces are yet to punch into the city’s dense urban neighbourhoods. The battle for western Mosul is expected to be the most trying yet. The western half of the city is denser with older neighbourhoods and narrower streets that will likely complicate the already difficult urban combat ahead.</s>As Iraqi ground troops pushed into western Mosul on Friday, the country’s air force struck Islamic State group targets inside Syria for the first time in response to recent bombings in Baghdad claimed by the militants.

Meanwhile, at least 60 people were killed in IS attacks near a key northern Syrian town captured only a day earlier from the extremists by Turkish forces and their Syrian opposition allies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced the Iraqi airstrikes in Syria in a statement, saying the border towns of Boukamal and Husseibah were targeted in response to recent bombings in Baghdad linked to Islamic State group operations there.

Iraqi forces closely supported by the U.S.-led international coalition pushed into the first neighborhood of western Mosul and took full control of the city’s international airport and a sprawling military base on the southwestern edge of the city, according to Iraqi officials.

The territorial gains were the most significant yet in the battle, now in its sixth day, to rout IS militants from the western half of Iraq’s second-largest city.

As Iraqi warplanes struck IS targets across the border, militants in northern Syria staged a suicide car bomb attack outside a security office operated by the Syrian opposition in a village five miles (eight kilometers) north of al-Bab, killing at least 60 people. The town had been controlled by IS since late 2013, but the militants finally retreated Thursday after more than two months of intense fighting.

Most of those killed in the village of Sousian were civilians awaiting permits and an escort to return to al-Bab, a Syrian military commander in the city told The Associated Press. At least six fighters were among those killed in the attack, according to Turkey’s prime minister, who spoke in Ankara.

Hours after the first explosion in Sousian, another car bomb attack was reported in the village, killing at least eight people, according to activist groups. There were no further details on the attack, and the Aleppo Media Center later took down the report.

An additional explosion was reported south of al-Bab, where two Turkish soldiers were killed when an explosive device went off as they were removing land mines, Turkey’s military said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights corroborated the report, saying the explosives detonated near Tadif, an IS-controlled town south of al-Bab. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, however, called the explosion a “suicide attack.” It was not immediately possible to reconcile the accounts.

In Mosul, meanwhile, Iraqi forces pushed into the Mamun neighborhood and engaged in intense clashes with IS militants, according to an Iraqi special forces officer on the ground, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Federal police Maj. Gen. Haider al-Maturi said his forces pushed through concrete roadblocks and earthen berms set up by the Islamic State group, and succeeded in capturing around 30 percent of the Aviation District, the first district entering Mosul’s western perimeter from the south.

“There were fierce clashes. We faced car bombs, suicide attackers and mortar shelling,” al-Maturi said. “The battle ahead will be difficult and complicated because of the civilians around. It’ll be street fights.”

Al-Maturi said six Iraqi troops were wounded, including two officers. However, an AP team near the front line saw at least four wounded special forces’ members and the bodies of three soldiers, suggesting more intense fighting than the previous day. A Canadian medic volunteering at a front-line clinic said he had treated at least 10 wounded federal policemen. Iraq’s military does not release official casualty figures.

Earlier on Friday, the spokesman of the Joint Military Operation Command, Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, said Iraqi forces had also retaken the military base adjacent to the airport.

The advances came a day after special forces joined the fight for western Mosul.

Both the Ghazlani military base and the airport will be key to the next steps in the daunting battle and will serve as a base of operations as Iraqi forces launch subsequent pushes into western Mosul, which is divided by the Tigris River into two halves.

Iraqi authorities declared the city’s eastern half “fully liberated” from the Sunni militants in January, three months after launching the operation to take back Mosul.

The United Nations estimates about 750,000 civilians are trapped in western Mosul. The initial numbers of displaced have been low, but Iraqi forces have yet to punch into the sector’s dense urban neighborhoods, an operation that is expected to be the most difficult yet. The western half of the city is denser, with older neighborhoods and narrower streets that will likely complicate the already difficult urban combat ahead.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>The Iraqi prime minister said he had directed the military to conduct airstrikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) targets in Syrian territory. The strikes come in response to recent bombings in Baghdad, he added.

"We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is found, so we gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad," Haider al-Abbadi said in a statement.

"The heroes of the sky executed the operation and responded to the terrorists with amazing success."

IS claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that took place on February 16 in southern Baghdad, when a car bomb blast ripped through the area, killing at least 45 and injuring dozens.

Albu Kamal was targeted by the US-led coalition earlier this week. On Thursday, three strikes engaged an IS unit and also destroyed four oil refinement stills and a vehicle.

Later in the day, an Iraqi military commander has confirmed the airstrikes "were successful," adding that they involved F-16 fighter jets, AP reported.

A seniour security official told Reuters "the strikes targeted Islamic State's headquarters used for making car bombs in Albu Kamal... after Iraqi intelligence received tips from their sources inside Syria."

READ MORE: Suicide blast kills at least 60 near Al-Bab, Syria – reports

Meanwhile, the Iraqi airstrikes were conducted "in complete coordination" with the Syrian government, a source close to Syria's foreign ministry told the news agency. The source chose not to elaborate on the issue.

Later, another foreign ministry source confirmed coordination of the airstrikes to the Syrian government's newspaper Al Watan.

Later in the day, Lebanese broadcaster Al-Mayadeen reported that the Iraqi airstrikes demonstrated “high-level cooperation between two countries' intelligence agencies.” The report said the Friday air raids were ordered after a convoy carrying IS commanders was spotted in the area, adding that coordinated strikes are very likely to happen in the future.

Bassam Abu Abdallah, professor of political studies in Damascus University, told RT that closer coordination between Iraq and Syria in the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) would be essential for defeating the jihadist group in the long run.

“If we do not have this kind of coordination, I think, that after Mosul the ISIS fighters will come to Syria and we see that the Iraqi forces try to close the borders between Syria and Iraq.”

Abdallah added that similarly motivated cooperation between the United States and Russia is needed to defeat IS, but so far it was “not clear what is the plan in the minds of the Trump administration.”</s>US-backed Iraqi forces pushed into western Mosul on Friday after retaking the city’s airport from Islamic State, as aid agencies warned the most dangerous phase of the offensive was about to begin for hundreds of thousands of civilians. Troops disarmed booby traps planted by retreating militant fighters in the airport, which the army plans to use as a base from which to drive Islamic State from Mosul’s western districts and deal a decisive blow to the group.

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As they did, Iraqi fighter jets dropped bombs on Islamic State positions inside Syria on Friday. It was the first time the Iraqi government publicly acknowledged striking militant targets inside Syria. The new offensive comes after government forces and their allies finished clearing Islamic State from eastern Mosul last month, confining the insurgents to the western sector of the city, which is bisected by the Tigris river.

Commanders expect the battle in western Mosul to be more difficult, in part because tanks and armoured vehicles cannot pass through the narrow alleyways that crisscross ancient districts there. The International Rescue Committee said the most dangerous phase of the battle was about to begin for the 750,000 civilians believed to be trapped inside Mosul.

“There is a real danger that the battle will be raging around them for weeks and possibly months to come,” said acting country director Jason Kajer. The United Nations has warned up to 400,000 civilians could be displaced by the new offensive amid food and fuel shortages.

Iraqi forces launched attacks on several fronts. Counter-terrorism forces clashed with Islamic State inside the southwestern district of al-Mamoun and took full control of the Ghozlani military base on Friday, Major General Sami al-Aridi, a senior commander, told Reuters. Separately, federal police and an elite Interior Ministry unit known as Rapid Response advanced into the Hawi al-Josaq and al-Danadan districts after breaching a berm and a trench set up by Islamic State north of the airport, a spokesman said.

Early raids in the city’s west have so far been restricted to thinly-populated areas. The government encouraged civilians to stay in their homes, but some were caught in the crossfire. Jamal Abdelnasser, 14, was shot in the leg by Islamic State when the militants stormed his home to take up sniper positions. After crossing the frontline, soldiers unwrapped the blood-soaked bandages around his leg and poured iodine on the bullet wound.

In another incident, a Reuters correspondent saw a dozen civilians fleeing towards Iraqi security forces from the outskirts of Mamoun. Defeat in Mosul would likely deal a hammer blow to Islamic State’s self-styled caliphate in areas it seized in 2014. But the group still controls swathes of territory in neighbouring Syria and patches in northern and western Iraq from where it could fight a guerrilla-style insurgency in Iraq, and plot attacks on the West.

Iraqi air strikes on Friday targeted Islamic State sites in Syria on Friday, including a factory for making car bombs, said a colonel in Iraq’s military intelligence. “We gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

A source close to Syria’s foreign ministry said the raid had been carried out in “complete coordination” with the Damascus government. On the ground in Mosul, Western advisors are increasingly present close to the frontline, helping coordinate air strikes and advising Iraqi forces as the battle unfolds.

Islamic State fought back on Friday with suicide car bombs and drones carrying explosives. Aridi, the CTS commander, said the drones were “particularly annoying today”. The campaign involves a 100,000-strong force of Iraqi troops, Shi’ite militias and Sunni tribal fighters. It is backed by an international coalition that provides vital air support as well as on-the-ground guidance and training.</s>BAGHDAD - The Iraqi air force struck members of the Islamic State group inside neighbouring Syria Friday, officials said, adding that the targeted militants were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad.

The strike was announced by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in a statement and is believed to be the first of its kind by Iraqi jets on Syrian territory.

"We ordered the air force command to strike Daesh terrorist sites in Husseibeh and Albu Kamal, in Syrian territory," the premier said, using an Arabic acronym for the militant organisation. "We are determined to track down terrorists trying to kill our sons and citizens wherever they are," he said. Both locations cited by Abadi are very close to the border and lie in the Euphrates Valley, facing the remote western Iraqi town of Al-Qaim.

Husseibeh is a town in Iraq but an area that lies on the Syrian side of the border bares the same name.

Militants have lost most of their urban bastions in the vast western province of Anbar since Iraqi forces mounted a counter-offensive following the capture by IS of around a third of the country in 2014.

The Joint Operations Command coordinating the fight against IS in Iraq released its own statement stating that the strike took place on Friday and containing some video footage. "Baghdad witnessed terrorist attacks using car bombs in Bayaa and Habibiyah," the statement said, referring to bombings that killed dozens last week in the Iraqi capital. The February 16 car bomb blast in Bayaa killed at least 52 people and was the deadliest such attack in Baghdad since a suicide truck bomb explosion in the Karrada neighbourhood set teeming shopping arcades ablaze and killed more than 320.

"After a few days of investigation, (the security forces) reached them and found their location," the JOC said.

"This morning, the heroes of the air force attacked enemy targets with F-16s inside Syria, in the Husseibeh and Albu Kamal areas," it said. "Their hideouts were completely destroyed."

But they continue to move relatively easily in desert areas and have hideouts from which they harass the security forces.

A security official speaking on condition of anonymity said it was the first time Iraqi aircraft had hunted IS targets across the border in Syria.</s>BAGHDAD: Iraqi warplanes have struck Islamic State targets inside Syria in retaliation for recent bomb attacks in Baghdad by the group, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Friday.

It appeared to be the first time Iraqi jets have conducted such raids across the border. A Syrian source said the strikes had been coordinated with Damascus.

Islamic State, which is now on the defensive after losing control of eastern Mosul in Iraq to a U.S.-backed Iraqi military offensive, has claimed responsibility for several car bombs in Baghdad in the capital in the past few weeks.

"We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens, wherever it is found, so we gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in (the Iraqi town of) Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad," Abadi said in a statement.

"The heroes of the sky executed the operation and responded to the terrorists with amazing success."

A military statement said the strikes had taken place on Friday morning using F16 fighter jets and had destroyed Islamic State headquarters in Albu Kamal.

"The strikes targeted Islamic State's headquarters used for making car bombs in Albu Kamal... after Iraqi intelligence received tips from their sources inside Syria," a senior security official told Reuters.

A source close to Syria's foreign ministry said the operation had been carried out in "complete coordination" with the Damascus government.

The United States said it had also helped the Iraqis by providing intelligence.

"Yes we were aware, yes we supported it as well with information," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters. "It is a good strike, it is a valid strike, it was a strike against ISIS targets," he said, using an acronym for Islamic State.

The jihadist group has separately come under attack in Syria by warplanes from Russia, Turkey and a U.S.-led coalition, all of which are supporting different offensives against it in the country.</s>Iraqi special forces advance towards the western side of Mosul, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017. The advance comes as part of a major assault that started five days earlier to drive Islamic State militants from the western half of Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed)

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on the Iraqi forces' battle to take the western half of Mosul from the Islamic State militants (all times local):

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the Iraqi air force has carried out its first airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria.

A statement from al-Abadi says the attacks targeted the towns of Boukamal and Husseibah and came in response to bombings in Baghdad that have been claimed by IS and linked to the militants' operations in Syria.

An Iraqi air force commander says the airstrikes were carried out with F-16 warplanes at dawn on Friday and "were successful."

The commander says they were conducted on the orders of the prime minister. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The airstrikes are first ones by Iraq against IS in Syria that have been publicly acknowledged. They come as Iraq's military is fighting IS in western part of the city of Mosul.

The U.S.-led coalition and Russia also carry out airstrikes against IS in Syria.

Iraqi officials say their forces have entered the first neighborhood of the western half of Mosul and have gained full control of the city's airport after fierce clashes with Islamic State militants.

Two special forces officials and a federal police official told The Associated Press about the developments in the Mosul advances on Friday. The gains come as Iraqi forces continue to push into the western part of this city, which is still in the hands of the Islamic State group.

All three officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake western Mosul on Sunday, weeks after the city's east was declared "fully liberated" from the militants in January.

Two Iraqi officials say that after a day of fierce fighting, Iraqi forces have secured half of Mosul's airport and most of a sprawling military base next to it on the city's southwestern edge.

A federal police officer and an official overseeing the operation said on Friday that troops also secured key infrastructure as they advance to rout the Islamic State group from western Mosul.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Iraq's federal police, special forces and the army are taking part in the battle, which started Sunday.

Iraqi authorities declared Mosul's eastern half "fully liberated" in January and afterward largely paused operations to prepare for the fight for the city's west.

The United Nations estimated that about 750,000 civilians are trapped in western Mosul.</s>Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abbadi said on Friday he had ordered the Iraqi air force to strike Islamic State positions inside Syria in retaliation for recent bomb attacks in Baghdad.

A source close to Syria's foreign ministry said the Iraqi air raid had been carried out in coordination with the Syrian government.

Islamic State, which is on the defensive after losing control of eastern Mosul to a US-backed Iraqi military offensive, has claimed responsibility for several car bombs in Baghdad in the past few weeks.

"We are determined to chase terrorism that tries to kill our sons and citizens wherever it is found, so we gave orders to the air force command to strike Islamic State positions in (Iraqi town) Hosaiba and Albu Kamal inside Syrian territory as they were responsible for recent bombings in Baghdad," Abbadi said in a statement.

"The heroes of the sky executed the operation and responded to the terrorists with amazing success."

The source close to the Syrian foreign ministry said there had been "complete coordination" with the Damascus government, but did not elaborate.

A separate statement by the Joint Operations Command said that the strikes had taken place on Friday morning using F16 fighter jets and had destroyed Islamic State headquarters in Albu Kamal.

"The strikes targeted Islamic State's headquarters used for making car bombs in Albu Kamal... after Iraqi intelligence received tips from their sources inside Syria," a senior security official told Reuters.

US-backed Iraqi forces have dislodged Islamic State from most of the cities it captured in 2014 and 2015. The militants also control parts of Syria.

Iraqi government forces last month captured eastern Mosul and have now launched an offensive on the western side. The city is divided in two halves by the Tigris river.
The Iraqi Air Force strikes ISIL targets inside Syria for the first time in response to recent bombings in Baghdad.