US uses new rocket system to hit Daesh from Turkey

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

The Pentagon confirmed Saturday it has deployed a new rocket artillery system to Turkey to strike Daesh.

The High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, was deployed to Turkey last month to support the U.S.-led coalition’s efforts to combat Daesh, according to the Pentagon.

“As a ground precision fires system, the additional U.S. capability that HIMARS brings will assist coalition works to degrade, dismantle and militarily defeat ISIL,” spokesman Maj. Ben Sakrisson said in a statement.

The system has a range of up to 200 kilometers (125 miles).

Its deployment marks the most recent step that the U.S. has taken to combat Daesh.

President Barack Obama’s envoy to the coalition, Brett McGurk, confirmed on Twitter that the U.S. used the system to strike Daesh targets in Syria overnight Friday.

“U.S. forces struck #ISIL targets near #Turkey’s border in #Syria last night via newly deployed HIMARS system,” he wrote on the social media site.