ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The Iraqi Air Force conducted strikes against ISIS in Syrian territory on Thursday with the coordination of the Syrian government in Damascus.
"Based on the orders from Abadi, the commander in chief, our air forces by using F-16 war planes bombarded ISIS terrorists' positions in Syria on the border with Iraq on Thursday," the Iraqi Air Force tweeted.
Iraqi Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and were launched from within Iraqi borders, Reuters reported.
The anti-ISIS coalition announced that they provided intelligence support for the operation that was "planned and executed by the Iraqi Joint Operations Command."
Iraq's Air Force released video on Tuesday of an F-16 fighter jet taxiing on what appears to be a military air base.
بناءً على اوامر القائد العام للقوات المسلحة الدكتور حيدر العبادي نفذت قواتنا الجوية البطلة بمقاتلات F16 اليوم الخميس ضربات جوية مميتة ضد مواقع عصابات داعش الارهابية في سوريا من جهة حدود العراق .#IQAF#القوة_الجوية_العراقية pic.twitter.com/VPDRcr31Rh
— IRAQI AIR FORCE (@iqAirForce) April 19, 2018
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi confirmed that he gave the orders.
"Our heroic air force carried out on Thursday in Syria near [the] Iraqi border deadly air strikes against Daesh's terrorist gangs," tweeted the PM's media office, using another term for ISIS.
Iraq immediately did not specify material damages or exact locations.
There have been pockets of ISIS resistance in western parts of Iraq's Anbar province that borders Deir ez-Zor governorate in Syria. Control of the strategic Middle Euphrates River Valley on both sides would strengthen border defenses against the insurgent group.
Over the past two days, there have been "violent attacks" between ISIS and pro-regime loyalists of Syrian and non-Syrian nationalities in Mayadin, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
Mayadin, is about 85 kilometers northwest of the al-Boukamal (Syria) and al-Qaim (Iraq) border crossing.
Abadi has previously ordered strikes in Syria against ISIS. He did so for the first time on February 2017.
He declared a total military defeat over ISIS in Iraq in December 2017.
Updated at 8:37 pm
