BEIRUT -- An Iraqi military statement says the Syrian air force has carried out a series of airstrikes against Islamic State group militants inside Syria, with one killing the group's leader in Raqqa, the IS de facto capital

Saturday's statement doesn't say when the airstrikes happened, but described the targets as "the biggest positions for senior terrorists."

The statement says the strikes targeted IS positions in Raqqa and the town of al-Bukamal and village of al-Dishaisha near the Iraqi border.