U.S., allies conduct 21 air strikes in Iraq, Syria: task force

A plume of smoke rises above a building during an air strike in Tikrit March 27, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 21 air strikes since early on Monday targeting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq, the Combined Joint Task Force carrying out the operations said on Tuesday. In Iraq, four air strikes destroyed vehicles and an excavator near Ramadi, which Islamic State recently captured. The other 10 strikes in Iraq hit near Bayji, Sinjar, Fallujah and other towns. In Syria, seven air strikes near Al Hasakah destroyed vehicles, fighting positions and a shipping container, the task force said in a statement. (Reporting by Washington newsroom; Editing by Bill Trott)