Warplanes kill 18 in Iraq

ISTANBUL: Turkish warplanes bombed Kurdish militants in Iraq’s Sinjar region and in north-eastern Syria yesterday, killing at least 18 fighters and officials in a widening campaign against groups affiliated with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

The air strikes targeted the YPG, a key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are backed by the US and have been closing in on the Islamic State bastion of Raqqa.