US military reports airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria

The US military on Saturday reported a series of strikes against so-called Islamic State (IS) group targets in Syria in retaliation for the December ambush that killed two US soldiers and one American civilian interpreter.

US Central Command said in a statement that American aircraft had conducted 10 strikes against more than 30 IS targets between February 3 and Thursday, hitting weapons storage facilities and other infrastructure.

At least 50 members of IS have been killed or captured, while more than 100 IS targets have been struck since the United States began its strikes after the December 13 ambush, according to Central Command.

That attack killed Sgt Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt William Nathaniel Howard, and Ayad Mansoor Sakat, the civilian interpreter.

The Syrian Defence Ministry said on Thursday that government forces took control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the fight against IS.

The Al-Tanf base played a major role after IS declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014.

The US military on Friday completed the transfer of thousands of IS detainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expected to stand trial.

The prisoners were sent to Iraq at the request of Baghdad, in a move welcomed by the US-led coalition that had for years fought against IS.