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The BBC's Jim Muir is on the ground with Kurdish troops who are starting a push to retake the plain of Mosul
The US has carried out its first air strike against Islamic State (IS) militants under a new strategy to defeat the group.
The US military said Monday's strike had destroyed an IS fighting position south-west of Baghdad that had been firing on Iraqi forces.
It came five days after US President Barack Obama outlined his plan to "degrade and ultimately destroy" IS.
IS has seized large areas of Syria and Iraq and declared a "caliphate".
The US has also been building a broad coalition to fight the jihadist group, which is also known as Isil or Isis.
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Gabriel Gatehouse reports from the front line of Peshmerga-held territory in northern Iraq
US Central Command said Monday's strike was "the first taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions".
It did not specify the exact location, but Iraqi security spokesman Lt Gen Qassem Atta told AFP news agency it was "an important strike" in Sadr al-Yusufiya, 25km (15 miles) from the capital.
The US also said an IS position near the north-western town of Sinjar had been targeted on Sunday, destroying six IS vehicles.
US fighter planes have conducted more than 160 air strikes across Iraq since August.
Previous US air strikes in Iraq have been carried out to protect US interests and personnel, help Iraqi refugees and secure infrastructure.
In a speech last week, President Obama unveiled a four-point plan to defeat IS using air strikes, support for Iraqi troops, anti-terrorism activities and humanitarian aid.
He has said there are no plans to send in US ground troops.
Continue reading the main story| Country | Air strikes /surveillance | Equipment/personnel | Logistical |
|---|---|---|---|
|
United States |
Air strikes on IS positions in Iraq, also authorised in Syria |
1,000 advisory staff, aircraft carrier hosting 65 aircraft, including F/A-18 fighter jets, Apache attack helicopters and drones |
Train and equip moderate Syrian rebels |
|
UK |
Iraq - surveillance only |
Tornado fighter jets, Hercules transport planes, Chinook helicopters, 1 Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft. Arms for Kurds |
|
|
France |
Iraq - surveillance only |
Rafale fighter jets + arms for Kurds |
|
|
Germany |
40 advisory staff + arms for Kurds |
||
|
Australia |
600 advisory staff + up to 10 aircraft - F/A-18 fighters, tankers and support aircraft |
||
|
Gulf countries |
Allow use of air bases and air space |
||
|
Saudi Arabia |
Allow bases to be used for training of moderate Syrian rebels |
||
|
Turkey |
Aid and logistical operations from Nato air base |
||
However, the former commander of UK forces in Afghanistan, Col Richard Kemp, told the BBC on Tuesday that if the current strategy failed, ground troops from the coalition may be inevitable.
"If this threat is serious enough to warrant air strikes against it, and ultimately the strategy of using local forces on the ground doesn't work, then it must be serious enough to deploy our own forces," he said.
In northern Iraq, Kurdish "peshmerga" forces backed by US surveillance jets and drones have been advancing against IS positions, the BBC's Jim Muir reports.
An attack into the IS-held plain of Mosul, east of the city, began at dawn while on the other side of Mosul, the Kurds have also been pressing towards the town of Zumar, our correspondent says.
Support for IranMeanwhile, Iraq has criticised the decision not to invite Iran to Monday's Paris summit on the IS threat.
Thirty countries pledged to join a US-led coalition against IS at the talks.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said the decision not to include Iran was "regrettable".
"We believe that all world countries are concerned about the danger of terrorism," he said.
"Iran is our neighbour, it assisted us and it should have been present, but we are not the party responsible for inviting parties," he added.
Iran and Syria both have borders with Iraq, but relations between them and the US are fraught.
Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry ruled out co-operation with Iran, citing its "engagement in Syria and elsewhere".
Syria also did not take part in the Paris gathering.
The CIA estimates IS has between 20,000 and 31,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
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