Coalition and Iraqi forces carried out airstrikes Tuesday against an island in the Tigris River believed to be a safe haven for the Islamic State group in Iraq.
VIDEO: Here’s what it looks like when @USAFCENT #F15 and #F35 jets drop 36,000 Kg of bombs on a Daesh infested island. 🛩💥 هكذا تبدوا الجزيرة الموبوءة بداعش بعد أن أسقطت عليها الطائرات المقاتلة #أف-15 و #أف-35 36,000 كغم من الذخيرة pic.twitter.com/2v6FAEL9Rn
— OIR Spokesperson (@OIRSpox) September 10, 2019
Fireballs exploded across Qanus Island in Iraq’s Salah ad Din province, as plumes of smoke billowed up into the sky, a video posted on Twitter showed. Black-clad Iraqi counter-terrorism troops are seen watching over the operation from the ground.
Following the early morning strikes, ground clearance operations conducted by the Iraqi special forces were underway on the island, the U.S.-led coalition said in a statement in the afternoon.
“We’re denying Daesh the ability to hide on Qanus Island,” said Maj. Gen. Eric T. Hill, commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force, referring to ISIS by an Arabic term.