U.S.-led air strikes hit Islamic State in al Hasaka, other cities

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies hit Islamic State with an air strike in the Syrian city of al Hasaka on Wednesday, among other targets in Syria and Iraq, the U.S. military said. In a statement, the Combined Joint Task Force said the air strike in al Hasaka, a city divided into Syrian government and Kurdish control where Islamic State has been trying to retake the initiative, struck a unit of Islamic State fighters and one of the militant group's vehicles. Two other strikes in Syria hit near Aleppo and Tel Abyad, according to the statement released on Thursday. In Iraq, the coalition staged 13 strikes targeting Islamic State near Mosul, Ramadi, Tel Afar, Bayji, Baghdadi and Falluja, the task force said. (Reporting by Washington Newsroom; Editing by Bill Trott)