The United States has launched new air strikes against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or ISIL Sunday and Monday, hitting targets near Baghdad where Iraqi security forces are consolidating to launch a major offensive against the enemy.

The U.S. military's Central Command announced that its fighter jets conducted one air strike on Sunday in support of Iraqi forces near Sinjar in the north, and another strike southwest of Baghdad the day after.

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A Central Command release said the attacks destroyed six ISIL vehicles and obliterated one of the extremists' fighting positions that was firing on Iraqi forces.

Pentagon sources said the strikes were conducted in response to a request from Iraq as its forces were being subjected to severe fire from the militants.

"The air strike southwest of Baghdad was the first strike taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions to hit Islamic State targets as Iraqi forces go on offense," a Central Command statement said.

The expanded anti-ISIL strategy as outlined by President Barack Obama now authorizes the U.S. military to conduct offensive action in support of Iraqi forces as they battle the militants, and struggle to gain back territory occupied by the ISIL. Previous air strikes were limited to protecting U.S. personnel and interests, assisting Iraqi refugees, and securing critical infrastructure.

In outlining a major and long-standing expansion of the military campaign against the ISIL, President Obama said last week that the U.S. does not intend to go it alone. A day after Obama's speech, the U.S. announced it had received commitments from Arab countries to help in the air strikes against the militants. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, had agreed to provide a base where Syrian rebel fighters opposing both the ISIL and Syrian President Bashar Al Assad could train.

On Monday, a coalition of 30 countries meeting in Paris also vowed to support Iraq by "all means necessary," including military action.

Since early August, the U.S. has conducted 162 air strikes against the ISIL in Iraq. Obama had announced that  the expanded strategy will now include strikes inside Syrian territory. That phase in the air strike campaign is yet to begin. 

TagsIraq, Baghdad, Obama, Central Command, ISIL