U.S. military forces carried out two more airstrikes against ISIS militants in Iraq on Thursday and Friday, striking a boat and a small ground unit, United States Central Command said. The strikes came the same day that France participated in airstrikes against the terror group in Iraq for the first time.
The new U.S. strikes destroyed a boat on the Euphrates River southeast of Baghdad being used to resupply ISIS fighters, and also struck a small group of fighters southwest of the Iraqi capital, the military said. The military did not say how many ISIS fighters were hurt or killed in the attacks.
The attacks came as the propaganda wing of the ISIS terror group released a 56-minute Internet film called "Flames of War," a film the fighters had recently promoted in a trailer. The narrator of the propaganda film appears to speak with a North American accent.
As the U.S.-led coalition ramps up its attacks, the Army's top officer warned Friday it will become increasingly difficult to target and launch precision airstrikes against the ISIS militants hiding among the Iraqi population. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told reporters that fighters are beginning to seep into the population — and there are reports they are using children and others as shields. “When you target, you want to make sure you are targeting the right people," said Odierno. "The worst thing that can happen for us is if we start killing innocent Iraqis, innocent civilians."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
