Coalition aircraft strike Islamic State leaders near Mosul

USPA News - Coalition aircraft have destroyed a 10-vehicle Islamic State convoy near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, but it is unclear if the group`s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was among those present, the U.S. military said on Saturday. Details about casualties were not released.

U.S. Central Command spokesman Major Curtis Kellogg said the airstrikes were carried out near Mosul on Friday evening. "I can confirm that coalition aircraft did conduct a series of airstrikes yesterday evening in Iraq against what was assessed to be a gathering of ISIL leaders near Mosul," he said, using the U.S. abbreviation for the Islamic State. The airstrikes were said to have destroyed a vehicle convoy consisting of 10 Islamic State armed trucks, but how many people were killed was not known. "We have no further information to provide regarding these strikes. This strike demonstrates the pressure we continue to place on the ISIL terrorist network and the group`s increasingly limited freedom to maneuver, communicate and command," Kellogg said. It was unclear if Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was among those traveling in the convoy. Kellogg did also not say which country or countries carried out Friday`s airstrikes near Mosul.