Coalition air raid kills 5 ISIS militants in Kirkuk: source

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A US-led coalition air raid on Sunday killed five Islamic State militants in northern Kirkuk.

A source in the area told Kurdistan 24 that coalition airplanes targeted the extremists near the Kaluri village on the outskirts of Pirde (Altun Kupri) in northern Kirkuk.

“During the air raid, five terrorists were killed,” the source said.

Although Iraq declared a “final victory” against the so-called Islamic State in late 2017, the terror group continues to launch attacks through its sleeper cells.

Islamic State members often carry out sporadic assaults like kidnappings, bombings, and killings in liberated areas like Kirkuk and even places it never controlled like the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.

Elsewhere on Sunday, media in the United States reported that the US military had conducted an operation against the terror group’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Read More: VIDEO: ISIS leader Baghdadi reportedly killed in US raid in Syria

US media cited various anonymous sources who suggested an operation took place in Idlib but did not verify if the Islamic State leader was dead.

“The final confirmation is pending while DNA and biometric testing is conducted,” CNN reported, citing a US defense official.

The White House, meanwhile, said US President Donald Trump would make a “major statement” on Sunday, without providing further details.