U.S. says not targeting Syrian govt in airstrikes on militants

The United States reiterated on Monday that it is not targeting the Syrian government in its ongoing airstrikes on the Islamic State militant group.

"Our position hasn't changed. Our focus is on ISIL," State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki told reporters at a daily news briefing, using another name of the extremist group that proclaimed a caliphate in late June in areas it had seized in Syria and Iraq.

"We certainly are continuing to support the Syrian opposition, but I don't have anything new on that regard," she added.

Washington is leading air raids on the Islamic State targets in both Iraq and Syria, with a view to "degrading and ultimately destroying" it, while President Barack Obama has time and again ruled out sending in U.S. troops for a combat role.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, however, warned that airstrikes are not enough for a victory in Syria.

"If ISIS goes, another radical organization may come in," he told CNN in an interview aired Monday, using another acronym of the Islamic State. "So our approach should be comprehensive, inclusive, strategic and combined ... not just to punish, to satisfy our public opinion, to punish one terrorist organization, but to eliminate all terrorist threats in the future, and also to eliminate all brutal crimes against humanity committed by the regime." Enditem