Iraqi warplane crashes in Hawija
An Iraqi warplane crashed in the IS-occupied town of Hawija.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – An Iraqi warplane crashed during a reconnaissance flight in the town of Hawija, in southern Kirkuk Province.
“An Iraqi C-208 Caravan plane went down today in the Islamic State (IS) controlled city of Hawija,” a source from the Iraqi Air Force told Kurdistan24.
According to the military source, “the three crew members of the plane--two brigadier-colonels and a military cameraman, are dead.”
IS released a statement on one of its website claiming that they were able to shoot down the American-made aircraft using cannon shells.
Iraqi security sources deny that the plane has been shot down, claiming that the crash was due to “a technical issue.”
The C-208 Caravan is a light attack warplane manufactured by the US-based aerospace and defense company Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Often outfitted with three crewmembers, it has both daytime and nighttime reconnaissance and fire control capabilities.
Reporting by Baxtiyar Goran
Editing by Ava Homa and Benjamin Kweskin