U.S., allies conduct 22 strikes against Islamic State: U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies carried out 22 strikes against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, focusing on the Mar'a area of western Syria and the city of Fallujah in Iraq, according to military figures released on Friday. The U.S.-led coalition carried out five air strikes against the militants around Mar'a in northwestern Syria, destroying six fighting positions, four mortar positions and a vehicle, the military said in a statement. The coalition carried out four strikes against militants around the Islamic State-held city of Fallujah, about 40 miles (65 km) west of Baghdad. The strikes destroyed three fighting positions, a vehicle and two bridges, the statement said. The coalition also carried out air or rocket artillery strikes against Islamic State positions near Mosul, Qayyarah, Kisik, Al Baghdadi, Ramadi and Sinjar in Iraq. And it hit the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in Syria.