A U.S.-led coalition launched airstrikes Friday against a vehicle convoy near the Iraqi city of Mosul in an attempt to kill leaders of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a defense official said Saturday.
The official said 10 vehicles were destroyed in the attacks.
It is not known whether Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in the strikes.
President Obama announced this week that he will seek a new authorization for the use of military force for the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.
The president also announced this week that the U.S. will send an additional 1,500 non-combat troops to Iraq.
“They’ve reached a point where they need additional help,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said Friday of the Iraqi forces. “We’re basically just trying to improve their battlefield competence.”
