US Launches 4 Airstrikes Against Iraqi Militants

CORRECTS CAPTION TO REFLECT THAT THE SOURCE OF THE AIRSTRIKE CAUSING SMOKE IN PHOTO IS UNKNOWN Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand guard as smoke rises after airstrikes targeting Islamic State militants near the Khazer... CORRECTS CAPTION TO REFLECT THAT THE SOURCE OF THE AIRSTRIKE CAUSING SMOKE IN PHOTO IS UNKNOWN Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand guard as smoke rises after airstrikes targeting Islamic State militants near the Khazer checkpoint outside of the city of Irbil in northern Iraq, Friday, Aug. 8, 2014. The Iraqi Air Force has been carrying out strikes against the militants, and for the first time on Friday, U.S. war planes also directly targeted the group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says American jet fighters and drones have conducted four more airstrikes on Islamic militants in Iraq, taking out armored carriers and a truck that were firing on civilians.

U.S. Central Command says the Islamic State militants were firing on Yazidi civilians taking shelter in the Sinjar mountains. In a statement, the military says the militants were firing on civilians indiscriminately.

Central Command says the strikes near Sinjar were spread out, with three before noon Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday and one about 3 p.m.

The military says indications suggest that the strikes were successful in destroying the armored vehicles.

This is the third round of airstrikes against Islamic State forces by the U.S. military since they were authorized by President Barack Obama.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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