A plume of smoke rises above a building during an air strike in Tikrit March 27, 2015. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and its allies conducted 20 strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday, the coalition leading the operation said.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Combined Joint Task Force said five strikes near three cities in Syria hit Islamic State headquarters, a logistics facility and multiple fighting positions, among other targets.

In Iraq, 15 strikes, nine of which focused on Ramadi and Sinjar, targeted several tactical units and destroyed heavy machine guns, supply caches, explosive devices and rocket rails, the statement said.