Iraq says airstrikes kill 40 Islamic State fighters in Syria

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi military says it has killed 40 Islamic State militants in airstrikes in Syria.

The joint operations command said in a statement its F-16 jets struck IS positions in their pocket in eastern Syria twice on Tuesday, destroying a base and an arms warehouse in the villages of Sousa and Baghous.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group says at least 16 IS fighters were killed in the strikes.

Iraqi forces have been firing on IS positions across the border in eastern Syria to support the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in their push against the last IS pocket along the border.