The US and partner nations have launched their first airstrikes against Islamic State militants in Syria, as fighting raged between the extremist group and Kurdish forces near the border with Turkey, triggering a surge of tens of thousands of refugees.
The Pentagon said a mix of fighter jets, bombers and Tomahawk missiles fired from ships in the region targeted the Islamic State group.
Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby says because the military operation is ongoing, no details can be provided yet.
He said the decision to strike was made early on Monday by the military.
Australian special forces and RAAF members are in the United Arab Emirates but are not understood to be involved in this initial action in Syria.
The strikes are part of the expanded military campaign that President Barack Obama’s authorised nearly two weeks ago in order to disrupt and destroy the Islamic State militants.
The US has already launched 190 airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq since an aerial campaign began August 8.
As the fighting in Syria has moved closer to Turkey on Monday, the government is facing increasing pressure to step up efforts to take on the Islamic State extremists.
Turkey is resisting because it fears that arming Kurdish men to fight the group could complicate peace talks with Turkish insurgents within its own borders.
The Islamic State group’s offensive against the Syrian city of Kobani, a few kilometres from the border, has sent 130,000 refugees to seek safety in Turkey in the last few days.
The conflict in Syria had already led to more than one million people flooding over the border in the past three-and-a-half years.
But in addition to the refugee crisis, hundreds of Kurds in and around this city near the frontier have clashed with Turkish police, who fired tear gas and water cannons.
The Kurds say Turkey is hampering their efforts to let them cross into Syria and help their brethren.
The US is looking for major participation from nations in the region in the campaign to destroy the Islamic State group.
President Barack Obama has pledged that no American troops will be involved in combat missions against the group, and the US expects nations in the region to provide those.
