London, Sep 28 (IANS): Syrian militant group Nusra Front has denounced the US-led airstrikes as "a war against Islam".

In a statement, the Al Qaeda linked group called on jihadis across the world to target Western and Arab countries involved in it, BBC reported.

Nusra Front spokesman Abu Firas al-Suri threatened the coalition nations.

"These states have committed a horrible act that is going to put them on the list of jihadist targets throughout the world," he said.

"This is not a war against al-Nusra, but a war against Islam," he said.

It comes as the US and other nations widened airstrikes against Islamic State (IS) fighters in Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon said jets hit the Syrian city of Raqqa Saturday and IS positions near the Turkish border.

Kurdish fighters have been defending the Kurdish town of Kobane on the Syrian side of the border since an IS advance sent about 140,000 civilians fleeing to Turkey.

The US-led coalition of about 40 countries, including Arab states, has vowed to destroy IS which controls some parts of Syria and Iraq.

The group's brutal tactics, including mass killings, beheadings, and abductions of members of religious and ethnic minorities, triggered the international intervention.

Despite sharing radical Islamist beliefs, IS and Nusra Front have been rivals, recently clashing with each other in Syria.

The Nusra Front operates mainly in Syria and Lebanon.

The group announced its creation on Jan 23, 2012 during the Syrian Civil War.