US, Allies Target Oil Refineries Used by Islamic State

The United States and its Arab allies targeted several mobile oil refineries controlled by the Islamic State in Syria, in a new wave of airstrikes Wednesday.

Twelve modular oil refineries in eastern Syria were hit. The  airstrikes are aimed at cutting off the money supply of the Islamic State militants who smuggle oil from the refineries and sell it in the black market.

The Islamic State earns around $2 million a day by selling oil from the refineries, a Department of Defense official said, reports Fox News.

Officials said that the airstrikes did not target oil fields as it may cause environmental damage. As an alternative, the strikes targeted small capacity mobile refineries used by the Islamic State.

The modular oil refineries produce between 300 and 500 barrels of oil a day, the defense department said, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said that fighter jets of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates also participated in the operation which hit 12 locations.

Kirby said that the initial signs showed that the strikes were successful.

"We are very confident we hit what we were aiming at, and we caused the damage we wanted," he said, reports CNN.

Meanwhile, President Obama in his address to the U.N. General Assembly reiterated his call for united action against the Islamic State..

"It is no exaggeration to say that humanity's future depends on us uniting against those who would divide us along fault lines of tribe or sect; race or religion," Obama said." "This is not simply a matter of words. Collectively, we must take concrete steps to address the danger posed by religiously motivated fanatics, and the trends that fuel their recruitment," he added, reports CNN.