ISIS Suicide Bombers Attack US Artillery Base South Of Iraq’s Erbil

A photo of the US artillery base released by Amaq

On Sunday, three ISIS suicide bombers attacked an artillery base of the US-led coalition west of Makhmur town in the southern countryside of Erbil governorate, according to the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq.

Amaq claimed that 40 US Army soldiers were killed and 3 artillery pieces were destroyed in the attack. An ISIS official told Amaq that the base was built last week, and that the US-led coalition was planning to strike ISIS positions in Hawijah town south of Kirkuk city from it.

Peshmerga Commander for the Makhmour front Ziryan Sheikh denied Amaq claims and said that the US Army soldiers engaged with the three attackers right when they were approaching the base. Sheikh added the three suicide attackers detonated themselves when they realized that they will not be able to break into the military base.

A US-led coalition spokesman also denied the ISIS claims.

Failed #ISIS attack on Coalition base near Hawija last night. 1 Premature SVEST detonation +2 shot dead. No friendly casualties #defeatDaesh

— OIR Spokesman (@OIRSpox) 17 September 2017

Iraqi Air Force warplanes destroyed 42 targets of ISIS and killed 306 ISIS fighters between September 11 and September 16, according to an official statement released by the Intelligence Service of the Iraqi Interior Ministry.

The airstrikes targeted positions and vehicles of ISIS in the following areas:

• Al-Qa’im city on the Syrian-Iraqi border;
• Akashat town south of al-Qa’im;
• Anah town east of al-Qa’im.

Furthermore, Iraqi warplanes destroyed 6 targets of ISIS in al-Mayadin city in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside inside Syria. The airstrikes inside Syria were coordinated within the Russia-Iran-Syrian-Iraq operation room, according to the statement.

The airstrikes were announced as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Iraqi forces are planning to launch a joint attack on ISIS border strongholds of al-Qa’im and al-Bukamal.