Iraq tribal leader: strike kills 19 pro-government fighters
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An Iraqi tribal leader says an airstrike has killed 19 pro-government tribal Sunni fighters south of the town of Mosul, which is held by the Islamic State group.
Sheikh Nazhan al-Lihaibi says the airstrike took place at 2 a.m. Wednesday, following hours of clashes between pro-government forces and IS militants in the Haj Ali area.
It was unclear who carried out the strike.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An officer at Iraq's military operations command confirmed there was an airstrike in the area, but could not say if it was carried out by Iraq or the U.S.-led coalition. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
The U.S.-led coalition did not immediately respond to a request for comment.