U.S. military: coalition airstrikes on IS in Tirkrit starts without coordinating with Iran

U.S. military said Thursday American-led airstrikes pummeled the positions of extremist group Islamic State (IS) in the Iraqi city of Tikrit Wednesday night after a request from the Iraqi government.

It was the first time that America entered the offensive previously under Iranian command to retake the city of strategic significance. Tikrit, north of Iraqi capital city of Baghdad, is one of IS's most important strongholds.

The U.S. military said in a statement that American-led coalition forces conducted 17 air raids against IS facilities, including three checkpoints and two staging areas, noting that the Iraqi Defense Ministry approved the strikes.

"The ongoing Iraqi and coalition airstrikes are setting the conditions for offensive action to be conducted by Iraqi forces currently surrounding Tikrit," said Army Lt. Gen. James Terry.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military on Wednesday ruled out the possibility that the coalition air raids were coordinated with Iran.

"To be clear, the coalition is only coordinating with the government of Iraq and the Iraqi security forces," said U.S. Central Command spokesman Patrick Ryder. "We do not coordinate our operations in any way with Iran or Iranian-backed militias."

Shiite militants and Iraqi security forces assisted by Iranian advisers have been fighting IS fighters to retake the Tikrit since early March.

The Iraqi government at first did not request U.S. air support and according to the U.S. daily The New York Times, American officials privately expressed discomfort with the idea of aiding an operation led by militias and Iranian officials. Endite