US military forces are continuing to attack militants belonging to the Islamic State, a Sunni extremist group previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in support of Iraqi security force operations, the US Central Command said in a news release issued Wednesday.
According to the statement, the US military used fighter jets as well as remotely piloted aircraft to conduct 14 air strikes in the vicinity of the Mosul Dam.
The Central Command said the strikes destroyed or damaged six ISIL Humvees, three IED emplacements, one mortar tube, and two armed trucks. It added that all aircraft involved in the operation exited the strike area safely.
The Command stressed that these strikes were conducted under in support of Iraqi security forces and Kurdish defense force operations, as well as to protect critical infrastructure, US personnel and facilities, and humanitarian efforts.
The US Department of Defense had confirmed August 18 that Iraqi forces have seized control of Mosul Dam, and that Iraqi security forces and Kurdish forces are working together to further expand their control of the area.
"Since Aug. 8, U.S. Central Command has conducted a total of 84 air strikes across Iraq, the release said, and of those 84 strikes, 51 have been in support of Iraqi forces near the Mosul Dam," the statement added.
The latest development follows the release of a video showing American freelance reporter being beheaded by what appears to be a British executioner, apparently in retaliation for US air strikes against the IS in northern Iraq.
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