U.S. Airstrikes Hit Targets Near Baghdad

The United States stepped up its airstrike campaign in Iraq on Monday, targeting Islamic State positions southwest of Baghdad. The offensive is the first expansion of the U.S. campaign against ISIL, as outlined by President Obama last week. Previous airstrikes focused on northern Iraq, mainly in support of Peshmerga forces. On Sunday, the U.S. warplanes also hit targets near Sinjar.

The strikes on Sunday and Monday involved both attack and fighter aircraft. The U.S. has now carried out 162 airstrikes across Iraq. (The New York times, 16 September)

File photo: FA-18Cs and E, E2C aircraft on USS George H W Bush in Persian Gulf; 10 September 2014 (AP)