U.S., allies conduct 15 air strikes in Syria and Iraq: military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. and coalition forces conducted 12 air strikes targeting Islamic State in Iraq on Friday and three strikes against the militant group in Syria, mostly focusing on urban areas, the U.S. military said on Saturday. "The coalition continues to strike Daesh (Islamic State) terrorists in complex and congested urban terrain in Iraq and Syria,"” Brigadier General Thomas Weidley, chief of staff for the Combined Joint Task Force, said in a statement. All the Syrian strikes took place near the town of Kobani near the Turkish border, hitting tactical units and destroying a fighting position, the military said. The strikes conducted in Iraq were spread out near Baghdad, Al Huwayjah, Baiji, Makhmur, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, where they hit tactical units, firing positions and a staging area. They also destroyed vehicles, fuel tankers, weapons and a structure, the military added. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Gareth Jones)