Source: Xinhua| 2018-05-25 18:26:28|Editor: Shi Yinglun

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BAGHDAD, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Air Force on Friday carried out airstrikes on positions of the Islamic State (IS) militants inside Syria near the border with Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

"The Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out airstrikes on Friday morning targeting a headquarters of Daesh (IS group) gangs, and a warehouse storing missiles and where many IS terrorists stationed in Hajeen area inside Syria," the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a brief statement.

The attacks were ordered by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also the Commander-in-Chief of Iraqi forces, the statement said.

Previously, the Iraqi air force had carried out such preemptive airstrikes against IS militants inside Syria with Iraqi F-16 fighter jets.

On April 26, Abadi pledged to continue airstrikes on positions and headquarters of the IS inside neighboring Syria, asserting that Iraq will not interfere in Syrian affairs.

"Iraq will not allow IS terrorists to regroup in Iraq, as they will not find breeding ground inside Iraq anymore," Abadi told reporters in Baghdad.

On Dec. 9, 2017, Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.