US military releases raw footage of Islamic State strikes
By MORGAN WHITAKER
Shortly after the United States expanded its role in the fight against the Islamic State with a series of targeted airstrikes in Syria, United States Central Command (Centcom) has released video of those attacks.
In one clip, posted Tuesday, American forces destroy a huge chunk of a compound in Syria controlled by ISIL -- the American government's preferred term for the Islamic State militant group fighting in Syria and often referred to as ISIS.
Another shows U.S. aircraft strike an ISIL storage facility, with a huge plume of smoke shooting into the sky shortly after the explosives hit. In a third, U.S. forces strike what Centcom describes as a vehicle staging ground, and a fourth shot in night vision shows an F-16 fueling up in midair during the airstrikes with help from a KC-135 Stratotanker.
Tuesday's attacks were a coordinated effort between Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S., according to officials.
"America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations," Obama said of the strikes Tuesday. "This is not America's fight alone."
Central Command has released similar videos before, including one that shows a strike against an armed Islamic State truck in Iraq last month.
Check out all the new videos in the gallery above, and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments.
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