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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says the airstrikes launched by the U.S. and Arab allies in Syria took out key training camps and facilities of the Islamic State militant group.
But an official says it's too soon to tell if other strikes carried out by the United States on its own were able to disrupt a terrorist attack being planned by al-Qaida militants, known as the Khorasan Group. Lt. Gen. William Mayville says the group was "nearing the execution phase" of an attack against Europe or the U.S.
Mayville, who is director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the U.S. carried out the vast majority of the strikes against the Islamic State group. And he said the strikes would continue, probably for years. He wouldn't provide details on the role played by five Arab nations.
Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the top U.S. military officer, says the operation showed the extremists that their attacks won't go unanswered. And President Barack Obama says the Arab support for the airstrikes shows the world that "this is not America's fight alone."
Activists in Syria say the U.S. and Arab strikes hit targets in and around the city of Raqqa, which is the Islamic State's self-declared capital in Syria.
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208-a-10-(Lieutenant General William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at news conference)-"the U.S. homeland"-The director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General William Mayville, says the U.S. had been watching the al-Qaida Khorosan cell for a while. (23 Sep 2014)
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209-a-09-(Lieutenant General William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at news conference)-"or the homeland"-The director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General William Mayville, says the al-Qaida cell was on the verge of acting. (23 Sep 2014)
<<CUT *209 (09/23/14)££ 00:09 "or the homeland"
APPHOTO DCCK115: President Barack Obama pauses as he speaks about the participation of five Arab nations in airstrikes against militants in Syria., Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014, on the South Lawn the White House, in Washington, before heading to the United Nations. The president said the participation of five Arab nations in airstrikes against militants in Syria "makes it clear to the world this is not America's fight alone." (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (23 Sep 2014)
<<APPHOTO DCCK115 (09/23/14)££
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