US to intensify air campaign against ISIS
Kurdish fighters battled the Islamic State group in northern Syria on Tuesday after President Barack Obama said the US-led coalition was intensifying its campaign against the jihadists in the conflict-riven country.
The extremist group launched a major offensive on Monday against villages controlled by the Kurds in the northern provinces of Raqa and Hasakeh, prompting fierce clashes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor, said about 80 ISIS fighters had been killed since Sunday morning in fighting and intensified US-led air strikes that began over the weekend.
Obama said the US-led coalition battling the jihadist group -- also known as ISIL -- would step up its campaign in Syria, while cautioning that a long battle remained.
"We're intensifying our efforts against ISIL's base in Syria. Our air strikes will continue to target the oil and gas facilities that fund so much of their operations," he said.
Obama said the group's "strategic weaknesses are real," noting it has no air force and no support from any nation.
But he cautioned that the fight would likely face "setbacks" and would not be quick.
"This is a long-term campaign," he said.
"In many places in Syria and Iraq, it's dug in among an innocent civilian population. It will take time to root them out."
He said more than 5,000 air strikes had been carried out against the group, eliminating "thousands of fighters, including senior ISIL commanders."
In recent days, the US-led coalition has launched a series of heavy air strikes against ISIS, particularly targeting its de facto Syrian capital of Raqa city.
On Saturday night and Sunday morning, nearly 30 ISIS fighters were reported killed in US-led raids in and around the city, with infrastructure including bridges also destroyed in the strikes.
According to US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter, the recent strikes were not targeting particular ISIS figures, but were intended to help Kurdish forces.
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