DAMASCUS: The United States and its Arab allies bombed oil facilities operated by jihadists in Syria to choke off their funding, killing more than a dozen militants.
France, meanwhile, launched new air strikes yesterday in neighbouring Iraq and pledged more support for Syrian opposition forces, upping its fight against extremists following the beheading of a French hostage.
American, Saudi and Emirati warplanes hit oil installations in eastern Syria controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group, broadening the campaign they launched this week beyond military targets to economic assets.
IS has been using small-scale mobile refineries to generate up to $2m in revenues per day, Washington said.
Jihadists seized and set fire to a cement factory in Syria owned by French construction giant Lafarge near the Turkish border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The strikes against the oil refineries killed 14 jihadists but also left five civilians dead, including a child, according to the Britain-based monitoring group.
It said foreigners from Europe, Arab nations, Chechnya and Turkey made up the vast majority of the more than 140 jihadists killed since the US-led raids began in Syria.
The Pentagon said it would investigate reports of civilian deaths but insisted the raids were carried out with precision.
It said US planes also carried out fresh strikes against IS fighters in Iraq, destroying armed vehicles, a tank and other targets.
AFP
