U.S., allies conduct 21 air strikes against Islamic State - U.S. military

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An international coalition led by the United States conducted 15 air strikes against Islamic State in Iraq on Thursday and also targeted the militant group with six strikes in Syria, the U.S. military said in a statement on Friday. The Iraq attacks "struck and eliminated Daesh terrorists, along with weapon systems, in the vicinity of Tuz" said Colonel Wayne Marotto, public affairs officer for the Combined Joint Task Force, using an Arabic name for Islamic State. One strike near Tuz hit a tactical unit and destroyed 10 Islamic State rockets and a vehicle, according to the military statement. In Syria, strikes near Hasaka, Raqqa and Mar'a struck tactical units and destroyed Islamic State excavators, vehicles and a staging area, it said. (Reporting by Lisa Lambert; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)