U.S., allies conduct 20 air strikes in Iraq, six in Syria: U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and six in Syria on Monday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement. The strikes in Iraq included six near Qayyarah, three near Kisik and four each near Ramadi and Mosul, where they destroyed an Islamic State homemade explosives cache, a militant checkpoint, four staging areas and a weapons cache, the Combined Joint Task Force said on Tuesday. Other strikes included one near Albu Hayat, where a tactical unit was hit and a staging area destroyed, and Habbaniyah, where an air strike destroyed two vehicles, three front-end loaders and another homemade explosives cache, it said. An Islamic State tactical unit was hit in a strike near Sinjar. In Syria, the coalition said, two strikes near the militants' stronghold of Raqqa destroyed three excavators and a tactical unit. Two gas and oil separation plant well heads were hit by two strikes near Dayr Az Zawr and two strikes in Manjib hit a training facility and destroyed three buildings, it said. (Editing by W Simon)