Nine Islamic State militants killed in Kirkuk air raid
Iraqi F-16 fighter jets. File photo.
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi warplanes killed nine Islamic State militants while moving in a convoy for an attack on security forces near Salahuddin, a local source in Kirkuk was quoted saying on Friday.
Alsumaria News quoted the source saying that the strike, carried out early Friday after midnight, targeted a convoy of militants moving from Kirkuk’s Abbassi towards Hamreen mountains to attack security forces on the borders with Salahuddin.
Nine senior members were killed and twelve vehicles were destroyed in the raid, according to the source.
Islamic State has held a few havens in southwestern Kirkuk, most notably the town of Hawija, since 2014, when the group proclaimed an “Islamic caliphate” on a third of Iraq and Syria.
The Iraqi government declared victory over IS in Mosul, the group’s former capital in Iraq, last month, and said it was going to proceed towards other group holdouts, including Kirkuk.
The group lost more than 25.000 members in military operations since their launch in October, according to Iraqi generals. A few thousands are thought to remain in Kirkuk, Anbar, Salahuddin and Tal Afar.
Armed conflicts in Iraq killed and wounded more than 500 during July, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).