Coalition air strikes destroy Islamic State base: U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led coalition air strikes destroyed an Islamic State operating base at a stadium near Ramadi that was a key supply hub used to store weapons and explosives, the U.S. military said on Wednesday. The strikes were conducted on Tuesday in coordination with the Iraqi government, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement. "ISIL used the stadium as a base of operations to control fighters across the Ramadi region, and as a central node for lethal aid funneled down the Euphrates River Valley," the statement said. "Destroying this hub will significantly disrupt ISIL’s ability to conduct operations and resupply their fighters in Ramadi." Iraqi troops, backed by Shi'ite militias, Sunni tribal fighters and U.S.-led coalition air strikes, have been trying to encircle Islamic State militants in Ramadi before trying to retake the city, the Pentagon said last month. The provincial capital of Anbar province, 60 miles (100 km) west of Baghdad, fell to the Sunni militants in May. (Reporting by Doina Chiacu)