International Coalition against Terrorism
The USA launched the first strikes against Islamic State militants in Syria on Tuesday.
Valentin Țigău, 23.09.2014, 13:23
The US and the nations that have joined the fight against terrorism Tuesday launched air strikes against 20 sites controlled by the Islamic State group in Syria. News agencies report that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates supported the military action. The US notified Damascus of the strikes launched on its territory, and explained they would not target the Syrian state.
The action was initiated against the background of the severe worsening of the situation in Iraq and Syria, where the ultra-radical group carries on a brutal campaign of murders, rapes and hostage taking, and asks Muslims to kill the citizens of countries making up the coalition that fights against it, particularly American and French. The US and France already launched air strikes in Iraq, after the IS declared a caliphate in Syria and Iraq on July the 1st.
A Pentagon official said Tuesday’s raids targeted IS camps in Raqqa, the main Jihadist stronghold in Syria. The group also controls much of the country’s eastern part, particularly the oil-producing Deir Ezzor and much of the Turkish border. Syrian Kurdish fighters announced having halted the IS advance towards the town of Kobani, on the Turkish border, the stage of violent clashes that have prompted massive groups of civilians to seek refuge in Turkey. The US Secretary of State John Kerry called for an international coalition of European and Arab countries to join the US in destroying this terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
In Bucharest, PM Victor Ponta announced that Romania supported the plan and would contribute to these international efforts. A recent poll indicates that most Romanians are concerned with the situation in Ukraine, and 44% of them are worried about the armed offensive of the Islamic State.
