IS explosive vehicles convoy destroyed in Salahuddin airstrike
Representational photo.
Salahuddin (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Air Force has destroyed a convoy of booby-trapped cars near al-Shirqat town, north of Salahuddin province, Alsumaria News reported on Monday citing statements by a local source.
The attack resulted in the killing of Abu Qutaiba, a leader in the Islamic State (IS), the network said.
“A column of vehicles belonging to IS, which was carrying dozens of C4-made improvised explosive devices, was attacked near al-Shirqat town, resulting in destroying the whole convoy and killing several elements of the terror group,” the source said.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that the IS transferred Abu Qutaiba to a hospital in Eastern al-Shirqat before his death.
IS has controlled eastern Shirqat since June 2014.
On Sunday, a Syrian national designated by the Islamic State as a governor of combined Iraqi areas was seriously wounded in an airstrike in Shirqat, and was seriously injured, while two of his assistants were killed.
The airstrike targeted a rest house in Zuweya, northeast of Salahuddin, where a secret meeting was held.
Having achieved victory over IS in its biggest stronghold in Mosul on Sunday, Iraqi government forces are expected to carry out further offensives at other IS holdouts in Iraq, including Shirqat.