Apparent US coalition raids kill 32 IS fighters in Syria: monitor
Beirut, Dec 6, 2015 (AFP) -- At least 32 Islamic State group fighters were killed on Sunday in apparent US-led coalition air strikes on the group's Syrian stronghold of Raqa province, a monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the series of strikes to the north, east and southeast of Raqa city hit IS bases and also injured more than 40 members of the group.
U.S., allies say 17 strikes launched in Iraq, 12 in Syria against Islamic State
WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) -- The United States and its allies conducted 17 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and 12 in Syria on Saturday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement.
In Iraq, the air strikes focused on the militant strongholds of Mosul and Ramadi, where four and six strikes respectively hit tactical units, weapons and buildings, the coalition said on Sunday. Other strikes hit near Albu Hayat, Sinjar, Sultan Abdalla and al Huwayjah.
In Syria, the strikes hit near Ayn Isa, Mar'a, RaqqaDayr Az Zawr, where five strikes destroyed five Islamic State oil wellheads, the statement said.
An update on the incident in London from our News Desk:
British counterterrorism police were questioning a 29-year-old man on December 6 on suspicion of attempted murder following a knife attack at a London underground that injured three people.
The Metropolitan Police said the "violent unprovoked" attack at Leytonstone Underground Station late on December 5 is being treated as "a terrorist incident."
Authorities have asked witnesses who filmed the stabbing to share their footage with police.
The suspect reportedly screamed "This is for Syria!" as he attacked.
Police said one of the victims was seriously injured.
Britain on December 3 began carrying out air strikes against suspected Islamic State targets in Syria.
Britain's national terrorism threat level remains at "severe," meaning that authorities believe an attack is highly likely.
Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and dpa
Barring any major developments, that concludes our live-blogging of Islamic State for Sunday, December 6. Check back here tomorrow morning for more of our continuing coverage.
The Syrian government is saying this morning that four warplanes from the U.S.-led coalition targeted a Syrian army camp in Deir Ezzor province on Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding 13.
Deir Ezzor is mostly controlled by IS.
Syria's Foreign Ministry says nine missiles were fired at the camp, Reuters reports.
From our news desk:
NATO Chief Says Alliance Won't Send Ground Troops Into Syria
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO has ruled out sending ground troops to fight Islamic State (IS) militants in Syria.
In an interview published by Switzerland’s Tages-Anzeiger newspaper on December 7, Stoltenberg said NATO ground forces accompanying U.S.-led coalition air strikes was "not on the agenda of the coalition and the NATO allies."
Stoltenberg said: "The United States has a limited number of special forces," but strengthening local forces is "the only option."
Stoltenberg also said NATO would help improve Turkey's air defenses after it shot down a Russian bomber that crossed into Turkish airspace.
Noting a "significant buildup of the Russian military presence from the far north to the Mediterranean," Stoltenberg said it is important there to "avoid similar incidents such as in Turkey."
President Barack Obama said his strategy to fight IS does not include U.S. ground combat troops in Syria and Iraq.
But the Pentagon has announced small deployments of elite special forces.
Obama Vows To Destroy IS
U.S. President Obama has vowed that the United States will destroy the IS group and hunt down its supporters at home or abroad, AFP reports this morning.
Obama's rare speech came after IS claimed on December 5 that a married couple who killed 14 people in a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California were its followers.
"After so much war, many Americans are asking whether we are confronted by a cancer that has no immediate cure," Obama said, according to AFP.
"The threat from terrorism is real, but we will overcome it. We will destroy [IS] and any other organization that tries to harm us...Our military will continue to hunt down terrorist plotters in any country where it is necessary," Obama added.
WATCH: U.S. President Barack Obama Says Islamic State Will Be Defeated
Syria's Foreign Ministry has written letters to the United Nations secretary-general and the chairman of the UN Security Council condemning the strike by the U.S.-led coalition against a Syrian army post in Deir Ezzor, state media is reporting.
The letters "called on the Security Council to immediately take the urgent measures to prevent such aggressions from occurring again, adding that the aggression on the military post hinders the efforts aiming to fight terrorism and reiterates that the U.S.- led coalition lacks seriousness and credibility in the fight against terrorism," Syrian state news agency SANA reports.
Turkish FM: Air Strikes Alone Won't Remove IS From Syria
Air strikes alone will not be enough to dislodge IS in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told his country's Kanal 24 television this morning.
Cavusoglu said that an effective ground force is needed to support Syria's moderate opposition, Reuters reports.