New airstrikes target IS

The US-led coalition has struck several Islamic State (IS)-controlled targets near two Syrian border towns, a human rights group reported Wednesday.

Jets flying from Turkey struck Islamic State targets near the Kurdish town of Kobane in northern Syria, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The airstrikes targeted supply routes favored by IS militants.

Turkey would not confirm the airstrikes however, and said that neither Turkish airspace or a United States airbase in southern Turkey were used to conduct strikes against IS.

Five airstrikes reportedly hit IS-controlled territory near the town of Albu Kamal in western Syria near the Iraqi border as well on Wednesday, according to Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Observatory.

"The people [in Albu Kamal], the activists say they (the strikes) are probably the (international) coalition, not the regime," Abdulrahman told Reuters. "The strength of the explosions are greater. Like yesterday," he said.

The strikes in Albu Kamal took place just before and after midnight on Wednesday.

Twenty-two airstrikes hit targets in and around the town of Albu Kamal on Tuesday, the Observatory said. The town is one of the primary border crossings between Syria and Iraq. The Islamic State group has conquered broad swaths of territory in both countries with the goal of creating an Islamic caliphate.

The new airstrikes come shortly after the United States and Arab allies bombed IS targets in other parts of Syria on Tuesday.

bw/mz (dpa, Reuters)