A U.S.-led coalition aircraft waged a series of deadly strikes against Islamic State around the city of Fallujah in Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 250 ISIS fighters.

The strikes, which took place south of the city, where civilians have also been displaced, are just the latest battlefield setback suffered by the terror group in its self-proclaimed 'caliphate' of Iraq and Syria.

One U.S. official cited a preliminary estimate of at least 250 suspected fighters killed and at least 40 vehicles destroyed, Reuters reports.

If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group.

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A U.S.-led coalition aircraft waged a series of deadly strikes against Islamic State around the city of Fallujah in Iraq on Wednesday, killing at least 250 ISIS fighters

The strikes, which took place south of the city, where civilians have also been displaced, are just the latest battlefield setback suffered by the terror group

However, the group's territorial losses are not diminishing concerns about its intent and ability to strike abroad though.

The strikes came less than 24 hours after a triple suicide bombing at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Turkey pointed the finger at Islamic State on Wednesday for the attack that left 42 dead and wounded hundreds more.

Although no-one has claimed responsibility for the attack, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said 'the evidence points to 'Daesh', using another name for IS.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that his country – which has long been accused of complacency towards ISIS – will overcome the terror group as well as Kurdish rebels.

Speaking at an iftar, a meal to break the fast during the month of Ramadan, on Wednesday evening, Erdogan said the terror groups were aiming to impede Turkey's ambitions, such as becoming one of the world's 10 strongest economies and building the world's largest airport.

Iraqi troops inspected the ISIS convoy destroyed by US-led airstrikes killing some 250 terrorists

The convoy of fleeing terrorists was strafed from the air as it attempted to flee Fallujah

ISIS has been fleeing Fallujah after the Iraqi army began a major offensive to retake the important city

The ISIS convoy was devastated by the overwhelming firepower on display by the US military

One U.S. official cited a preliminary estimate of at least 250 suspected fighters killed and at least 40 vehicles destroyed

If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly ever against the jihadist group

The strikes came less than 24 hours after a triple suicide bombing at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul. Turkey pointed the finger at Islamic State

Referring in turn to the Kurdish rebels, an outlawed leftist militant group and the Islamic State group, he said: 'Neither the PKK, the DHKP-C, nor Daesh... will succeed in deterring Turkey from its goals.'

He said the attackers 'have prepared their place in hell' and thanked the world leaders, including President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, for calling to offer their condolences.

CIA chief John Brennan told a forum in Washington that the Istanbul attack bore the hallmarks of Islamic State 'depravity.'

He acknowledged there was a long road ahead battling the group, particularly its ability to incite attacks.

'We've made, I think, some significant progress, along with our coalition partners, in Syria and Iraq, where most of the ISIS members are resident right now,' Brennan said.

'But ISIS' ability to continue to propagate its narrative, as well as to incite and carry out these attacks -- I think we still have a ways to go before we're able to say that we have made some significant progress against them.'

Iraqi security forces pose for pictures as they celebrate their victory in Fallujah, Iraq, on Tuesday

Iraqi forces (above, on patrol in the city) declared Sunday they had fully liberated Fallujah from the Sunni-led extremist group that took over the city more than two years ago

Earlier this month, Brennan told Congress that the United States' battle against ISIS has not stopped their global reach.

He said the group is expected to plot more attacks against the Western world and encourage lone wolves to carry out massacres.

On the battlefield, the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State has moved up a gear in recent weeks, with the government declaring victory over the group in Fallujah.

On Sunday, Iraqi forces declared they had fully liberated Fallujah from the Sunni-led extremist group that took over the city more than two years ago.

An alliance of militias have also launched a major offensive against the militant group in the city of Manbij in northern Syria.

Still, in a reminder of the back-and-forth nature of the war, U.S.-backed Syrian rebels were pushed back from the outskirts of an Islamic State-held town on the border with Iraq and a nearby air base on Wednesday after the jihadists mounted a counter- attack, two rebel sources said.



