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IS strikes: Not America's fight alone - Obama | IS strikes: Not America's fight alone - Obama |
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President Obama has hailed the support of Arab nations in air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants, saying: "This is not America's fight alone." | President Obama has hailed the support of Arab nations in air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants, saying: "This is not America's fight alone." |
He was speaking hours after the US and Arab allies launched their first air strikes against IS in Syria. | |
Activists say at least 70 IS militants and 50 other al-Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in the strikes. | Activists say at least 70 IS militants and 50 other al-Qaeda-linked fighters were killed in the strikes. |
Syrian officials say they were given advance warning of the strikes, but the US state department has denied this. | |
President Obama confirmed Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Qatar had taken part in or supported the strikes. | |
He said the US was "proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations". | He said the US was "proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations". |
The Pentagon said warplanes, drones and Tomahawk cruise missiles were used in the strikes. | |
HQ targeted | HQ targeted |
IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, and the US has launched nearly 200 air strikes in Iraq since August. | IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, and the US has launched nearly 200 air strikes in Iraq since August. |
But Monday's strikes expanded the anti-IS campaign across the border into Syria for the first time. | |
The strikes targeted the group's main headquarters in its stronghold of Raqqa, north-eastern Syria. | The strikes targeted the group's main headquarters in its stronghold of Raqqa, north-eastern Syria. |
IS training compounds, vehicles and storage sites were also hit in several other areas. | IS training compounds, vehicles and storage sites were also hit in several other areas. |
President Obama said al-Qaeda-linked militants, known as the Khorasan Group, were also targeted in Syria. | |
"We will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people," he said. | "We will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people," he said. |
He warned that the operation against IS would take some time, but that he would do "what is necessary" to defeat the extremists. | |
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said he supported any international efforts to combat "terrorism" in Syria, state media reports. | |
"Syria will continue to resolutely fight the war it has been prosecuting for years against... terrorism," he said, after meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Damascus. |