World/Nation

• U.S., partners expand airstrikes into Syria

WASHINGTON - The U.S. and partner nations began launching airstrikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria for the first time Monday night, expanding a military campaign against the militants with a mix of fighter jets, bombers and Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from ships in the region.

The strikes were part of the expanded military campaign that President Barack Obama's authorized nearly two weeks ago in order to disrupt and destroy the Islamic State militants, who have slaughtered thousands of people, beheaded Westerners, including two American journalists, and captured a large swath of territory stretching from within Syria to land across northern and western Iraq.

Because the military operation was ongoing, no details could be provided yet, said Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon's press secretary. He said the decision to strike was made earlier Monday by the military. He did not name the partner nations participating in the operation; however U.S. officials have said the U.S. would not launch this mission alone and some Arab nations had been expected to participate.

Some of the airstrikes of airstrikes were against Islamic State group targets in Raqqa.

• Ammo found in car left near White House

WASHINGTON - Investigators found more than 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two hatchets in the car of the former soldier accused of scaling the White House fence and sprinting inside while carrying a knife, a federal prosecutor said Monday. President Barack Obama was "obviously concerned" about the weekend incident, a spokesman said.

The Secret Service increased security around the famous grounds on Pennsylvania Avenue in the nation's capital, some guards openly holding weapons, others escorting dogs. There was talk of expanding the security zone beyond the current area as a major investigation began into the question of how the man managed to get to the building without being stopped.

Omar J. Gonzalez, 42, of Copperas Cove, Texas, faces charges of entering a restricted building or grounds while carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. He had been arrested earlier in the summer in Virginia with a carful of weapons, authorities said, and a federal prosecutor said Monday in court that Gonzalez had a map then with the White House circled.

Authorities ran into Gonzalez again, less than a month ago on Aug. 25, when he was stopped while walking along the south fence of the White House, his car parked nearby. He had a hatchet in a rear waistband but no firearms, a federal prosecutor said at Monday's hearing. Gonzalez gave permission to search his car and was not arrested.

Friday evening, Obama and his family had left the White House for Camp David when the incident occurred. Gonzalez was seized just inside the building's front door. No guns were found in his car.

• Missing college student may be with employee

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Officials investigating the disappearance of a University of Virginia student focused Monday on the man they believe was the last person seen with her, searching his apartment for a second time and trying to locate the campus employee to arrest him on reckless driving charges.

Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 32 and a patient technician in the operating room at the university's medical center, hasn't been charged in the disappearance, but authorities say they want to talk to him about Hannah Graham, 18. She has been missing since Sept. 13. Police have not offered any details about how the two may be connected.

"I believe Jesse Matthew was the last person she was seen with before she vanished off the face of the Earth because it's been a week and we can't find her," Charlottesville police Chief Timothy Longo said. "I've made no mistake about it. We want to talk to Jesse Matthew. We want to talk to him. We want to talk to him about his interaction with this sweet, young girl we can't find."

After initial searches of Matthew's car and apartment Friday morning, police returned with a new search warrant to his Charlottesville apartment Monday, city spokeswoman Miriam Dickler said.

• Sierra Leone and Liberia prepare for Ebola cases

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone - Two of the West African nations hardest hit by Ebola were bracing for new caseloads on Monday after trying to outflank the outbreak with a nationwide checkup and a large new clinic.

Sierra Leone was expected to announce a sharp increase in Ebola patients today following a nationwide effort to identify new cases, while Liberia opened its largest treatment center yet.

Both countries have poor health systems, weakened by the loss to Ebola of many of doctors and nurses. The World Health Organization estimated last week that they have only about 20 percent of the beds they need to treat Ebola patients.

Still, identifying the sick is fundamental to containing the disease, and Sierra Leone went to an extreme unseen since the plague ravaged Europe during the Middle Ages, ordering an entire nation's people to remain at home while teams went door to door handing out soap and information.

More than 1 million households were checked for Ebola and told how to prevent its spread, authorities said.