US strike IS targets near Haditha Dam in Iraq

WASHINGTON 

U.S. military forces conducted five airstrikes Monday on Islamic State militants in support of Iraqi security forces and Sunni tribes protecting the Haditha Dam in the northern Iraqi province of Anbar.

According to a statement from the U.S. Department of Defense, three IS armed vehicles were destroyed, one of which was carrying anti-aircraft artillery, and a large IS ground unit near the dam.

Separately, an airstrike destroyed a humvee belonging to the militants near Irbil. 

The U.S. has conducted a total of 148 airstrikes across Iraq, since President Barack Obama authorized military forces to protect U.S. facilities in Iraq. 

Armed groups linked to the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, have captured large parts of territory in Iraq in recent months, forcing thousands of Iraqis to flee, including Turkmen, Arabs and Yazidis.

www.aa.com.tr/en