Iraq strikes ISIS in Syria

Iraq’s air force carried out its first airstrike against ISIS targets inside Syria today. The F-16 warplane strikes, which hit two towns directly across the border, came in response to recent Baghdad bombings claimed by ISIS and linked to militants in Syria, said Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. An Iraqi air force commander said the dawn attacks were successful. Iraqi forces also took full control of Mosul’s international airport and an adjacent military base Friday as the battle to rout ISIS from the western half of Mosul entered its sixth day. Both the airport and the base will serve as important launch pads for farther pushes into western Mosul, separated from the liberated eastern half by the Tigris River. The UN estimates 750,000 civilians are trapped in the western half, a denser and older neighborhood that will likely be harder to liberate than eastern Mosul.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.