Pentagon changes rules of engagement against IS, expanding strike targets

U.S. defence chief Ash Carter said on Thursday the U.S. military was prepared to change the rules of engagement and expand strike targets in the fight against the extremist group the Islamic State (IS).

"We're prepared to change the rules of engagement," said Carter in an interview on the U.S. TV network MSNBC aired on Thursday, noting that the U.S. military was targeting more targets of the IS, also known as ISIL.

"We're starting to go after fuel convoys now, which is something we've figured out how to do because ISIL uses the energy -- the oil infrastructure -- as a way to raise money," said Carter.

According to a statement by the Pentagon on Monday, one air strike had destroyed 116 IS fuel trucks near Abu Kamal, Syria.

The strike marked the first time the U.S. warplanes had ever targeted a large number of fuel trucks used by the IS to transport oil, a vital source of revenue for the extremist group.

Moreover, a Pentagon statement issued on Thursday said a gas and oil separation plant was also struck by U.S. air campaign near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria.

"The oil infrastructure is something that the civilian population benefits from," said Carter, explaining why the U.S. military had been hesitating to go after IS fuel trucks before.

Citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, U.S. daily The Hill reported that previous U.S. rules of engagement demanded that IS targets be damaged, not destroyed, in order to leave Syria with the capability to produce oil after the defeat of the extremist group. Endit