Abadi orders new strikes on ISIS targets in Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq is again striking ISIS targets across the border in Syria.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi orders the Air Force to strike Daesh leadership near al-Dashisha in Syrian territory,” Abadi tweeted Sunday morning, using an Arabic name for ISIS. 

As prime minister, Abadi is commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armed forces. 

The Iraqi Air Force confirmed they were “directing a painful blow” against a position of ISIS leaders south of al-Dashisha. 

On April 19, Iraqi jets struck ISIS targets in Syria, killing 36 fighters, including six leaders, a military official stated. 

Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool said the strikes were carried out in coordination with the Syrian government and the global anti-ISIS coalition said they had provided intelligence support for the operation. 

Baghdad considers the ongoing ISIS present in eastern Syria a security threat for Iraq.

“Our project has developed from fighting terror in Iraq to fighting terror in the region,” Abadi proclaimed last month. 

Al-Dashisha, a desert region along the Syrian border with Iraq in Deir ez-Zor province, is one of two pockets where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the coalition, is still combatting ISIS.

The SDF announced the final phase of their operations against ISIS last week.