More than 1,700 bombs dropped in US-led air war on Islamic State
Details of allied bombing raids against Islamic State militants operating in Syria and Iraq released by US Central Command
US and allied aircraft have flown nearly 6,600 sorties in the air war against Islamic State and dropped more than 1,700 bombs, the American military said on Thursday.
The flights for “Operation Inherent Resolve” include thousands of mid-air fuelling runs, surveillance sorties and 632 air strikes in Iraq and Syria, according to US Central Command.
The latest tally was released one month after the US-led coalition extended its air campaign from Iraq into Syria, in a bid to counter the advance of the Islamic State jihadists.
The effect of the open-ended air campaign remains the subject of debate, with the White House saying the militants have been damaged by the strikes and critics pointing to the group’s battlefield successes despite the raids.
Coalition aircraft have targeted Islamic State militants with more than 1,700 bombs and missiles since August 8 in both Iraq and Syria, Central Command said in a statement.
Washington often stresses that a broad coalition is fighting the Islamic State militants, but US aircraft have conducted the overwhelming majority of the strikes so far.