US begins airstrikes against IS in Iraq

At Iraq’s request, the US began airstrikes in Tikrit in support of a stalled Iraqi ground offensive to retake the city from Islamic State fighters.

The bombing marked a significant expansion of the US military role in Iraq.

“These strikes are intended to destroy ISIL strongholds with precision, thereby saving innocent Iraqi lives while minimising” unintended damage to civilian structures, said Lieutenant General James L Terry, commander of the US-led campaign to defeat the Islamic State group, said in a written statement.