'We've killed world’s most wanted terrorist': American officials believe Muhsin al-Fadhli died in airstrikes on Syria where he was plotting toothpaste tube bomb attacks on US and Europe

  • Fresh wave of airstrikes hit ISIS targets in north west Syria overnight, according to a conflict monitoring group
  • Witnesses allege aircraft came from the direction of Turkey, but Turkey denies its airspace was used for attacks
  • Meanwhile American forces carried out separate overnight attacks on ISIS in both eastern Syria and inside Iraq
  • Blitz comes as jihadists claim leader of the Al Qaeda-linked Khorasan Group was killed in yesterday's air strikes
  • Muhsin al-Fadhli was apparently nearing 'execution phase' of terror plot he had masterminded against the West
  • Khorasan group has specialised in making sophisticated bombs for attacks against airports and passenger planes

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Airstrikes in northern Syria killed the 'world's most wanted terrorist' before his band of Islamist militants were able to carry out deadly 'toothpaste tube bomb attacks' on the U.S. and Europe, American officials believe.

Muhsin al-Fadhl, 33, was identified as the leader of the Al Qaeda-affiliated Khorasan Group - a radical terror collective specializing in intercepting Western jihadists on their arrival in Syria, and training them to carry out deadly bomb attacks on targets in their home nations.

As well as an American and Arab coalition hitting targets relating to ISIS militants in Syria yesterday, the U.S. air force also independently struck Khorasan as intelligence suggested the group were nearing ‘the execution phase’ of a terror atrocity against a Western target that could have rivalled 9/11.

Details of the alleged death of al-Fadhl emerged this afternoon from a U.S. military official speaking on condition of anonymity.

Despite his relatively young age, the Kuwait-born militant was an Al Qaeda veteran; joining the terror group as a teenager and becoming so close to its leadership that he was among a select few with prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks in America, despite having only just turned 20 at the time.

News of Muhsin al-Fadhl's alleged death comes as a fresh wave of airstrikes hit ISIS-held territory close to Syria's border with Turkey overnight.

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Militant: U.S. officials are said to be confident that airstrikes in northern Syria killed the 'world's most wanted terrorist', Muhsin al-Fadhl, yesterday. The 33-year-old was the leader of Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group Khorasan - a collective based in Syria training Western jihadists to carry out deadly bomb attacks in their home nations

Militant: U.S. officials are said to be confident that airstrikes in northern Syria killed the 'world's most wanted terrorist', Muhsin al-Fadhl, yesterday. The 33-year-old was the leader of Al Qaeda-affiliated terror group Khorasan - a collective based in Syria training Western jihadists to carry out deadly bomb attacks in their home nations

Rubble: Syrians check a damaged house, reportedly hit by US-led coalition air strikes, in the village of Kfar Derian in the western Aleppo province 

Rubble: Syrians check a damaged house, reportedly hit by US-led coalition air strikes, in the village of Kfar Derian in the western Aleppo province

Residents inspect damaged buildings in what activists say was a U.S. strike, in Kfredrian, Idlib province 

Residents inspect damaged buildings in what activists say was a U.S. strike, in Kfredrian, Idlib province

The U.S. is confident that a barrage of close to 40 Tomahawk missiles aimed at Khorasan training camps in the Aleppo countryside killed the group's leader Muhsin al-Fadhi yesterday.

'We believe he is dead,' a U.S. military official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

News of the militant's supposed death comes as a second round of airstrikes hit Aleppo province last night, according to an organisation tracking violence in Syria.

Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the warplanes carried out raids near the city of Kobani - also known as Ayn al-Arab - in Syria's western Aleppo province, with the aircraft coming from the direction of Turkey. Mr Abdulrahman added that the planes were not Syrian.

Last week ISIS launched an offensive against the town, forcing more than 130,000 Syrian Kurds to flee.

Although responsibility for these attacks has yet been claimed by any government - Turkey itself strenuously denies that either its airspace or strategic military bases were used to carry out the airstrikes in the early hours of this morning.

While those strikes were taking place, American forces carried out a total of two airstrikes along Syria's border with Iraq and four other airstrikes inside Iraq itself, according to an anonymous official speaking with ABC News.

No further details of this second wave of American attacks on ISIS have yet been revealed.

The aforementioned Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said some 50 Al Qaeda militants - the majority of which are presumed to have been linked to Khorasan - were killed in the independent American air strikes, in addition to 70 ISIS jihadists killed in the 14 U.S./Arab coalition attacks.

The Pentagon accused Khorasan of planning 'major attacks' against the West, saying it had eliminated the group's militants who were in the 'final stages' of plots to wreak havoc against Europe or the United States.

Officials were so concerned about the group that new restrictions for passengers on US-bound flights were imposed in July to prevent a possible attack, Attorney General Eric Holder told Yahoo News.

HOW KHORASAN GROUP'S YOUNG LEADER MUHSIN AL-FADHLI USED 9/11 ATTACKS IN THE U.S TO RAPIDLY RISE THROUGH AL QAEDA'S RANKS AND EVENTUALLY BECOME 'THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE WORLD'

 Despite still only being 33-years-old, Muhsin al-Fadhli is understood to have worked within Al Qaeda's senior ranks since around the time of the 9/11 attacks in America in 2001.

Born on April 24 1981 in Kuwait, al-Fadhli must have joined Al Qaeda in his mid-teens, as U.S. intelligence suggests he was among a select few senior militants with prior knowledge of the 9/11 attacks, despite having only just turned 20.

The success of that operation led to al-Fadhli being tapped-up for further promotion and he formed a close relationship with Al Qaeda's leader in Iraq Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who died in 2006.

He is understood to have been the main fundraiser for the October 2002 attack on a French ship off the coast of Yemen which killed one and devastated the local environment when 50,000 gallons on crude oil spilled into the sea.

He quickly became Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's own deputy and personal bodyguard, and was stationed in Northern Afghanistan with Al Qaeda's central leadership for at least part of of the 2000s, as U.S. intelligence attempted to gather as much information on his as possible.

So rapid was al-Fadhli's rise within Al Qaeda that at the age of 24 he was mentioned in a 2005 speech by then U.S. President George W Bush.

His main role within Al Qaeda, and the real reason for his rapid rise, appears to be his extensive network of contacts among wealthy jihadists in oil rich Kuwait. He is understood to be able to pull in vast sums of money at short notice thanks to his reputation as a trusted and discreet operator.

An United Nations report detailing his military background says: 'Al-Fadhli also fought against Russian forces in Chechnya, where he trained in the use of firearms, anticraft guns and explosives. Al-Fadhli was a facilitator connected with the al-Zarqawi groups in Iraq, providing support to fighters there.'

In the late 2000s Al-Fadhli spent a short period in an Kuwait prison for terror funding - but upon his release was given the responsibility of setting up and managing an Al Qaeda branch in Iran, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Not content with his already extensive links throughout the Muslim world, Al-Fadhli is believed to have continued making fresh connections to fund terror activities in Pakistan.

He also began funneling Al Qaeda's finances through Turkey shortly after the 2011 uprising in neighbouring Syria, according to the Sydney Morning Herald - apparently foreseeing the potential opportunities for Al Qaeda and other radical terror groups at a time when much of the West was cheering rebel forces on against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.

It is not known exactly how Khorasan came to exist as semi-antonymous group within Al Qaeda, but its senior figures are all - like Al-Fadhli - veterans of numerous conflicts with extensive contacts throughout the world of radical Sunni Islam.

According to U.S. intelligence, the group's current modus operandi is to intercept Western would-be militants travelling to Syria in the hope of training them not for action against Assad's forces, but for high-profile terror attacks in their home countries.

It is understood the group hopes a quick training turnaround will ensure the radicals do not raise attention when they arrive back in their home countries in Western passports, but will give them enough knowledge to create difficult-to-detect homemade 'toothpaste tube' bombs which could then be used for attacks on airliners.

Coalition: President Obama today met officials from the Arab countries that joined the coalition for the strikes. Included in the meeting are representatives from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq

Coalition: President Obama yesterday met officials from the Arab countries that joined the coalition for the first waves of airstrikes. Included at the meeting are representatives from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Iraq

Attack: The  U.S. has released footage of Tomahawk missiles being fired from the USS Arleigh Burke - a guided missile destroyer stationed in the Red Sea

Attack: The  U.S. released footage of Tomahawk missiles being fired from the USS Arleigh Burke - a guided missile destroyer stationed in the Red Sea

Not just America: A handout picture released by the official Saudi Press Agency shows pilots the country's air force sitting in their fighter jet having taken part in a mission to strike ISIS targets in Syria

Not just America: A handout picture released by the official Saudi Press Agency shows pilots the country's air force sitting in their fighter jet having taken part in a mission to strike ISIS targets in Syria

Better together: Pilots from the Saudi Air Force pose for a picture at their air base having safely returned from attacking ISIS targets inside Syria yesterday

Better together: Pilots from the Saudi Air Force pose for a picture at their air base having safely returned from attacking ISIS targets inside Syria yesterday

The previously little-known Khorasan organization's plots, reportedly discovered in the past week, included using a bomb made of a non-metallic device like a toothpaste container or clothes dipped in explosive material, CNN reported, citing an intelligence source.

Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes described the group as including 'core Al-Qaeda operatives from Afghanistan and Pakistan who made their way to Syria,' and that the Pentagon acted because it believed attacks against western targets were 'imminent.'

The Pentagon said a majority of the 40-plus Tomahawk cruise missiles launched into Syria were aimed at the Khorasan lair and training camps near Aleppo.

Action against Khorasan had long been considered and was 'separate and apart from the growing threat from ISIL,' a senior US official said, using one of several alternative names for ISIS.

Matthew Henman, who heads IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center, said Khorasan's militants had slipped into Syria to link up with the Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda's official affiliate in the war-torn country.

'Its funding and weaponry are limited, but Khorasan came 'to exploit the vacuum and the very chaotic situation in Syria,' said Northeastern University professor Max Abrahms, who is also a terrorism analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations.

By preying on the chaos and destruction in Syria, and less interested than IS jihadists in seizing territory, 'Khorasan is like a hyena which basically picks up pieces of carcasses' in a brutalized landscape, Abrahms added.

Its maximum 1,000 members pale in comparison with the estimated 31,000 fighters loyal to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's ISIS group.

Syria airstrike

Syria airstrike

Pinpoint: An ISIS vehicle storage area near Abu Kamel in Syria is destroyed by satellite guided munitions in the this video released by the Pentagon

Reduced to rubble: The remains of the vehicle storage area are scene in this image after the smoke has cleared 

Reduced to rubble: The remains of the vehicle storage area are scene in this image after the smoke has cleared 

Levelled: A storage facility near Abu Kamel in Syria was also destroyed in the first round of U.S. strikes

Levelled: A storage facility near Abu Kamel in Syria was also destroyed in the first round of U.S. strikes

Cluster bombs: An in-flight camera shows satellite guided cluster bombs destroying an ISIS vehicle staging post near Abu Kamel last night
Cluster bombs: An in-flight camera shows satellite guided cluster bombs destroying an ISIS vehicle staging post near Abu Kamel last night
Cluster bombs: An in-flight camera shows satellite guided cluster bombs destroying an ISIS vehicle staging post near Abu Kamel last night

Cluster bombs: An in-flight camera shows satellite guided cluster bombs destroying an ISIS vehicle staging post near Abu Kamel

Joint strikes: Aircraft from the Saudi Arabian air force were among those in the coalition supporting the airstrikes. A burning ISIS storage facility is seen near the town of Abu Kamel 

Joint strikes: Aircraft from the Saudi Arabian air force were among those in the coalition supporting the airstrikes. A burning ISIS storage facility is seen near the town of Abu Kamel 

Damaged: This Pentagon image (before air strike left, and after on the right) shows the damage inflicted on a ISIS Finance center in Raqqa, Syria after it was hit by a tomahawk missile 

Damaged: This Pentagon image (before air strike left, and after on the right) shows the damage inflicted on a ISIS Finance center in Raqqa, Syria after it was hit by a tomahawk missile 

Destroyed: This Pentagon image shows an ISIS barracks near the city of Raqqa in Syria. The image on the right shows it after it was hit by F22 Raptors in the first combat role for the aircraft

Khorasan leader Muhsin al-Fadhli is believed to have had close ties to Al-Qaeda founder bin Laden, and the group should be considered an Al-Qaeda affiliate 'in more international-minded terms' than ISIS, according to Abrahms.

At various points in ISIS' history the group has acted under the Al Qaeda banner, but relations soured after Al Qaeda's current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri branded the group's brutal lightning advance to claim vast swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq too extreme.

'The fact that the US targeted the Khorasan group in the very first wave of attacks really underscores how seriously the US takes this group,' Abrahms said.

In brief remarks, Obama bluntly justified attacking Khorasan bases: 'We will not tolerate safe havens for terrorists who threaten our people.'

Lieutenant General William Mayville, director of operations for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the group 'is clearly not focused on the Syrian people' or the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

'"They are establishing roots in Syria in order to advance attacks against the West,' he said, warning that Khorasan was recruiting foreign fighters who could use their western passports to return to their countries and carry out attacks.

'It's nothing new that Al Qaeda wants to attack the US,' said Aron Lund, editor of the Syria in Crisis website run by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

'The fact that news about this Al Qaeda-run anti-Western cell linked to Al Nusra Front emerged just over a week ago, through US intelligence leaks - it's certainly an interesting coincidence,' he told AFP.

Blast: Video emerged early this morning on Syrian Facebook pages showing  the US-led airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State targets in and around the city of Raqqa

Blast: Video emerged early this morning on Syrian Facebook pages showing the US-led airstrikes in Syria against Islamic State targets in and around the city of Raqqa

Fire: The attacks - described as 'shock without awe' - began in the early hours of this morning local time

Fire: The attacks - described as 'shock without awe' - began in the early hours of this morning local time

Flash: A Tomahawk missile is fired from the USS Arleigh Burke warship towards ISIS targets in Syria
In this handout image provided by the U.S. Navy, the guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea is seen.

Flash: A Tomahawk missile is fired from the USS Arleigh Burke warship towards ISIS targets in Syria

Yesterday's attacked are said to have killed up to 120 ISIS fighters - many in and around the group's stronghold Raqqa - promptoing fears over the safety of Western hostages taken by the Islamist extremists, including British taxi driver Alan Henning and journalist John Cantlie.

The attacks began with the launching of 47 Tomahawk cruise missiles from two US guided missile destroyers, USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea, operating from international waters in the Red Sea and the northern Gulf.

Fighter jets including America’s £87million F-22 stealth Raptor then continued the assault. It marked the first time the US has used the F-22 in combat.

The jets, backed by armed drones, hit targets in and around the IS stronghold of Raqqa - the de facto capital of the Islamic State - where the Western hostages were thought to have been held.

An IS militant fires a rocket propelled grenade  launcher during fighting near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds

An IS militant fires a rocket propelled grenade launcher during fighting near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab, known as Kobane by the Kurds

An IS militant firing a cannon mounted on a truck during fighting near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab,

An IS militant firing a cannon mounted on a truck during fighting near the Syrian Kurdish town of Ain al-Arab,

Barrage: An IS militant fires a heavy machine gun during the fighting. Some 140,000 mainly Kurdish refugees have now crossed the border into Turkey after the militants moved on the town of Ain al-Arab

Barrage: An IS militant fires a heavy machine gun during the fighting. Some 140,000 mainly Kurdish refugees have now crossed the border into Turkey after the militants moved on the town of Ain al-Arab

The first wave of strikes lasted for 90 minutes. Among the targets which reports from social media claimed had been hit were the house of the governor of Raqqa, the national hospital and the Equestrian Club.

Separate ISIS targets were hit in Deir al-Zor province in the north of Syria, where the terrorist group has also gained vast swaths of territory. The air strikes were anticipated and residents said ISIS began evacuating its headquarters in the city three days ago.

Pentagon officials said it was too early to say exactly how many fighters were killed or which ISIS facilities had been destroyed, but described the strikes as 'very successful'.

Awaiting orders: An F/A-18E Super Hornet and an F/A-18F Super Hornet prepare to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Awaiting orders: An F/A-18E Super Hornet and an F/A-18F Super Hornet prepare to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Ready: An F/A-18C Hornet  prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Ready: An F/A-18C Hornet  prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush

Littered: A man inspects the remains of what Islamist State militants say was a U.S. drone which crashed into a communication tower in Raqqa overnight

Littered: A man inspects the remains of what Islamist State militants say was a U.S. drone which crashed into a communication tower in Raqqa overnight

Syrian children hold up debris as they check a damaged house, reportedly hit by airstrikes in the village of Kfar Derian in western Aleppo

Syrian children hold up debris as they check a damaged house, reportedly hit by airstrikes in the village of Kfar Derian in western Aleppo

Syrian President Bashar Assad pictured meeting with Faleh al-Fayyad - the Iraqi National Security Advisor and envoy of the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - today

Syrian President Bashar Assad pictured meeting with Faleh al-Fayyad - the Iraqi National Security Advisor and envoy of the Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi yesterday

Satellite images showed heavily fortified buildings reduced to rubble by so-called ‘smart’ bombs and guided missiles.

Hospitals reported receiving the bodies of 48 IS fighters killed by air strikes near Abu Kamal, a town on the Syria-Iraq border.

A British man who travelled to Syria to fight with rebels against the Assad regime was among those killed in the strikes, it was claimed.

Aid worker Tauqir Sharif, from Chingford, Essex, told Channel 4 News: ‘He was nothing to do with IS – he was defending the Syrian people, fighting against Assad.’

The US Defence Department said the strikes were the beginning of a ‘credible and sustainable, persistent’ campaign to defeat ISIS, and said more attacks were planned. Targets included training compounds, command and control facilities, communication centres and munitions depots.

Syria’s envoy to the UN was informed ahead of the air campaign, but officials denied the strikes were coordinated with the government of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. A State Department spokesman said: ‘We warned Syria not to engage US aircraft. We did not request the regime’s permission.’

Destroyed: People inspect a shop damaged after a U.S. drone crashed into a communication station in Raqqa in the early hours of this morning, according to ISIS fighters

Destroyed: People inspect a shop damaged after a U.S. drone crashed into a communication station in Raqqa in the early hours of this morning, according to ISIS fighters

Fighters from the Islamic State group load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in Raqqa early on September 23, 2014. A US-led coalition on carried out its first air strikes and missile attacks against jihadist positions in Syria, with Damascus saying it had been informed by Washington before the operation began.  AFP PHOTO/RMC/STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images
Fighters from the Islamic State (IS) group load a van with parts that they said was a US drone that crashed into a communications tower in the Syrian city of Raqqa early on September 23, 2014. A US-led coalition on carried out its first air strikes and missile attacks against jihadist positions in Syria, with Damascus saying it had been informed by Washington before the operation began.  AFP PHOTO/RMC/STRSTR/AFP/Getty Images

Analysis: ISIS fighters (left) load parts of the alleged U.S drone they say crashed in Raqqa last night into a van

Khorasan are a totally separate group to ISIS and, although little is known of their origins, they are understood to be made up of 'seasoned al Qaeda veterans'.

The cell comprises around 50 veteran Al Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen, led by one of Osama Bin Laden’s former lieutenants Muhsin Al Fadhli.

The group has developed next-generation undetectable bombs which can be hidden in clothing or electronic devices, or even implanted in the human body.

Airport security measures in the past year, including greater checks on phones, laptops and tablets, were introduced because of the threat of the new explosives.

Like ISIS, Khorasan appeared to have established a safe haven in Syria, where it tried to recruit Western IS fighters who would be able to travel and conduct operations in Europe and the US.

It is understood that the group's aim is not to fight against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, nor does it hope to acquire vast swaths of land like ISIS.

Instead Khorasan targets the thousands of young Western Muslims who have travelled to fight in Syria in recent months - many of whom have retained their passports and have made the journey without the knowledge of their home governments.

Khorasan's plan is to recruit and train this fighters not to carry out attacks in the Middle East, but to return to their home countries and commit catastrophic acts of terror there. It is understood that once such attack was 'imminent' which led to the U.S. targeting the group in air strikes overnight.

James Clapper, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, said: 'In terms of threat to the homeland, Khorasan may pose as much of a danger as the Islamic State.'

Rolling out the Raptor: According to reports, the $139million F-22 stealth fighter jet saw combat for the first time ever during the strikes over Raqqa. Two of the jets are pictured here, over Guam

Rolling out the Raptor: According to reports, the $139million F-22 stealth fighter jet saw combat for the first time ever during the strikes over Raqqa. Two of the jets are pictured here, over Guam

The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush is pictured here. It is currently in the Persian Gulf and may have been a launching point for some of the aircraft that struck at Syria on Monday (FILE)

The aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush is pictured here. It is currently in the Persian Gulf and may have been a launching point for some of the aircraft that struck at Syria on Monday (FILE)

Crashed: An ISIS militant holds a piece of what the group claims is a US drone that fell to earth after colliding with a communications tower in  Raqqa early this morning

Crashed: An ISIS militant holds a piece of what the group claims is a US drone that fell to earth after colliding with a communications tower in Raqqa yesterday

ISIS fighters pray at the spot where the jihadist group said a US drone crashed into a communications tower

ISIS fighters pray at the spot where the jihadist group said a US drone crashed into a communications tower

Strong presence: Military leaders have said about two-thirds of the estimated 31,000 Islamic State militants were in Syria. The U.S. has also been increasing its surveillance flights over Syria, getting better intelligent on potential targets and militant movements

Strong presence: Military leaders have said about two-thirds of the estimated 31,000 Islamic State militants were in Syria. The U.S. has also been increasing its surveillance flights over Syria, getting better intelligent on potential targets and militant movements

FIVE ARAB STATES JOIN IN AERIAL OFFENSIVE AGAINST ISLAMIC STATE FORCES IN SYRIA AND IRAQ

Five Arab countries played an active part in the air strikes against Islamic State forces in Syria and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia sent British-made Tornados, fighter jets were supplied by Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and Qatar provided a forward airbase.

The participation of Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar is especially significant in the attacks on fanatical Sunni militants because the four countries have majority Sunni populations.

The raids follow weeks of diplomacy by US secretary of state John Kerry in building an alliance to ‘destroy and degrade’ IS.

It is expected that Monday’s operations are only the start of a major air campaign.

All five Arab countries that took part in the air strikes are deeply hostile to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, but are now fearful of the fighters who have emerged out of the anti-Assad rebellion they backed. The government of Bahrain, which has a large navy, said in a statement that it and other Gulf nations had struck terrorist sites and positions. 

Plans: Sailors stand watch on the bridge of USS Philippine Sea while Tomahawk cruise missiles are launched from the guided-missile cruiser  towards ISIS targets in northern Syria

Plans: Sailors stand watch on the bridge of USS Philippine Sea while Tomahawk cruise missiles are launched from the guided-missile cruiser towards ISIS targets in northern Syria

A Jordanian government spokesman also confirmed his country’s air forces took part, accusing the Islamic State group of trying to infiltrate its borders.
‘We will not hesitate to take further actions to target and kill terrorists who are trying to attack our country,’ said Mohammad al-Momani.

It is extremely unusual for countries in the Gulf to take an active part in military operations and even more unusual for their warplanes to carry out strikes.

Qatar, which together with Saudi Arabia has been accused of providing support for IS, did not provide warplanes but is said to have taken ‘an active’ role in the operations.

The US has already launched 190 air strikes in Iraq since August. However, yesterday’s action expands the campaign against the militant group across the border into Syria.

The alliance opens the way for the US, Britain, France and Australia to use air bases inside allied Gulf states.
Several countries, including the UK, operate already from within UAE.

US officials hope that Turkey, with one of the world’s biggest armed forces, will now join operations, opening up another front against IS.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria, said at least 70 Islamic State fighters were killed in strikes that hit 50 targets in the town of Raqqa, and in Deir al-Zor and Hasakah provinces in eastern Syria.

In a sign of how Islamic State’s rise has blurred lines in Middle East conflicts, the Syrian government said Washington had informed it hours before the strikes in a letter from Mr Kerry sent through his Iraqi counterpart.

A Syrian foreign ministry statement refrained from criticising the US-led action. It said Damascus would continue to attack Islamic State and was ready to cooperate with any international effort to fight terrorism.

Only a year ago Washington was on the verge of bombing the Syrian government to punish it for using chemical weapons before cancelling the strikes at the last minute.

Tightly-controlled Syrian state TV interviewed an analyst who said the air strikes did not amount to an act of aggression because the government had been notified.