- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

US to Target Syria Forces If They Stand in Way of Fighting Islamic State: Reports

Subscribe
The United States would target Syrian air defenses if they were to go after American planes launching airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, anonymous senior White House officials said Tuesday, as cited by the Associated Press.

MOSCOW, September 16 (RIA Novosti) – The United States would target Syrian air defenses if they were to go after American planes launching airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, anonymous senior White House officials said Tuesday, as cited by the Associated Press.

According to the officials, the United States "has a good sense of where the Syrian air defenses, along with their command and control centers, are located. If [Syrian President Bashar] Assad were to use those capabilities to threaten US forces, it would put his air defenses at risk," Associated Press writes.

US President Barack Obama unveiled his strategy for defeating the IS, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), on September 10.

The president's plan includes forming an international coalition to fight the radical organization and authorizing US airstrikes against IS positions in Syria, while simultaneously continuing airstrikes in Iraq.

The United States also plans to provide support, equipment and training to Kurdish and Iraqi forces and Syria's opposition to respond to the IS threat.

The IS militant group has been fighting the Syrian government and President Bashar Assad since 2012. In June, 2014, the IS started launching attacks in northern and western Iraq. Seizing vast areas in both countries, it has proclaimed an Islamic caliphate on all the territories under its control.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала