The United States and its coalition partners have conducted seven air strikes on positions of the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Iraq and Syria since early April 1.

The Joint Command Task Force leading the operation issued a press statement on April 2 saying three air strikes targeted IS positions in Syria, near the border town of Kobani, which Kurdish forces secured full control over in January.

In Iraq, the coalition said its air strikes hit IS positions near Baiji, Fallujah, Sinjar, and Ramadi.

The coalition has suspended air strikes in the Tikrit area after government forces and Shi'ite militias claimed on April 1 they had routed IS forces from the city and were in the processing of neutralizing remaining pockets of IS fighters.

Iraqi Interior Minister Muhammad al-Ghaban said late on April 1 that troops had discovered mass graves believed to hold the victims of a June massacre when IS militants captured the city and reportedly executed hundreds of mainly Shi'ite army recruits.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters