Coalition warplanes destroy 17 IS oil tankers
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Coalition warplanes targeted a convoy of Islamic State tankers near the district of Qayyarah that was loading crude oil.
Major Ameen Shekhani, a commander in the 91st brigade of the Iraqi army told Kurdistan24 that “Early morning, when 17 tankers were loading crude oil from the Qayyarah refinery, a targeted coalition airstrike destroyed all the tankers.”
According to Shekhani, IS extremists were planning to transfer the tankers to locations near the frontlines and burn the crude oil to create lots of black smokes and disrupt the coalition airstrikes.
“Before IS extremists were able to load all the tankers, coalition fighter jets target their convoy,” the Iraqi Kurdish army commander said.
IS extremists have used different tactics in an attempt to mislead the coalition warplanes that provide air power coverage for the forces fighting IS on the ground, including burning tires, gasoline, and crude oil.
According to the army commander, IS had plans to launch large-scale attacks on Iraqi forces based at Qayyarah airbase.
On July 10, Iraqi security forces liberated Qayyarah Military Air Base located in southern Mosul, north of Iraq, leading to the displacement of more than 10,000 people in Qayyarah and surrounding areas.
Following the seize of Qayyarah Air Base, the US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter stated that the Pentagon will send 560 more troops to Iraq that are now being deployed at the airbase in an effort to widen military campaign against IS before the Mosul operation begins.
Mosul is the second-largest city that has been under the control of jihadists since June 2014.
Editing by Ava Homa