Coalition airstrikes kill 40 jihadists in Bashiqa

Coalition warplanes carried out 31 attacks on the IS bases northeast of Mosul.

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (K24) – A Peshmerga commander said on Tuesday that US-led coalition jets heavily shelled Islamic State (IS) militants on the Bashiqa front located northeast of Mosul, killing 40 militants.

On Tuesday, a source from the Peshmerga forces stationed on the Bashiqa front told K24 based on anonymity that on Monday night, international coalition warplanes heavily shelled jihadists on the Bashiqa front.

The source mentioned that warplanes targeted five vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIEDs), which were all consequently destroyed before approaching Peshmerga bases.

The source noted that the number of the coalition airstrikes has dramatically increased recently. "Last night alone, coalition warplanes carried out 31 attacks on the IS bases northeast of Mosul," the source said.

The source also noted that the jihadists have attacked Peshmerga bases in the last few days, but all attacks were successfully repelled by the Peshmerga forces.

Following the successful military operation by the Peshmerga forces in liberating the Kurdish-Yezidi city of Sinjar (Shingal) northern Iraq on November 13, IS militants have been desperate to pass Peshmerga defense positions.

On December 19, the President of the Kurdistan Region, Massoud Barzani visited the Bashiqa front and met with Peshmerga commanders. In his visit, Barzani mentioned that over 250 IS militants have been killed in recent attacks. He praised the role of the US-led international coalition warplanes in shelling IS positions, which have been crucial in the Peshmerga defeating the jihadists.