US planes launch 18 strikes near besieged Syrian town

US warplanes hit Islamic State jihadists with 18 bombing raids near the Syrian town of Kobane today and yesterday, to support besieged Kurdish militia there, Central Command said.
The latest raids targeted several IS positions and 16 buildings occupied by the group, the military said.
US fighter jets and attack aircraft also bombed IS militants in Iraq, carrying out five air raids in the past 24 hours, it said.
One strike in Iraq near the Haditha dam destroyed an IS armed vehicle and a guard shack while four other strikes near Baiji destroyed a building, a Humvee and a machine gun and damaged an IS artillery piece, said Central Command, which oversees the air war.

With the battle for Kobane the center of world attention, US forces have stepped up bombing raids against the IS group around the town in recent days.
Central Command reported 21 strikes on Monday and yesterday, saying there were signs the IS group's advance on the town had slowed.
A British-based monitoring group said fighting was concentrated on the former Kurdish military headquarters in northern Kobane, which IS seized on Friday.