Iraqi Warplanes Strike ISIS Target in Eastern Syria, Claim 30 Killed

Iraq's first Syria strike since Assad authorized them to attack

The Iraqi government was quick to take advantage of the Syrian government’s pre-approval for strikes against ISIS in their territory. On Monday, Iraqi warplanes attacked and destroyed a building near al-Sousa, in eastern Syria.

According to Iraqi officials, the building was believed to be hosting a gathering of around 30 ISIS leaders at the time. Though they offered no details on who these leaders were, they claimed the building was totally destroyed.

Just one day prior, Syrian state media reported that President Assad had given Iraq advanced authorization for such strikes to be carried out without individual permission. Iraq had been sending security officials to Syria in recent weeks to discuss the ISIS problem along their common border.

Iraqi officials have indicated that they intend to escalate their involvement in fighting ISIS once the US withdraws from Syria. Some Iraqi officials have even said they are considering sending ground troops into eastern Syria for such operations.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.