Tonight the United States and five Arab partner countries launched the first round of airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Syria. Those five Arab partners include Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and other countries. Jordan and Bahrain have also joined the assault. They are all majority Sunni countries. ISIS is a salafist movement, which is considered an offshoot of Sunni Islam.
Earlier today, a handful of US airstrikes against ISIS targets in Iraq took out a few trucks.
Tonight’s strikes are the first conducted inside Syrian territory.
The airstrikes include US Air Force planes as well as cruise missiles from US Navy ships. It also includes aircraft from the Arab partner countries.
The strikes target about 20 ISIS command and control sites inside Syria, based on intelligence reportedly gathered over the past few weeks.
Update: The Obama administration is already telling reporters that after the initial heavy assault, the effort will be scaled back.
Great that we’ve got TV reporters being briefed that bombing will be scaled down after tonight. Think Isis might hear that too?
— Toby Harnden (@tobyharnden) September 23, 2014
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