World

Strikes on IS-held Iraq towns 'kill dozens'

December 7, 2016 4:03 pm

More than 60 people are reported to have been killed in air strikes on an Islamic State-controlled Iraqi town that is close to the Syrian border.

Witnesses said unidentified jets had targeted the centre of al-Qaim, about 300km (186 miles) north-west of Baghdad, late on Wednesday afternoon.

One strike had missed a mosque used by IS militants as a headquarters and hit residential buildings, they added.

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Nineteen children and 12 women were among the casualties, a medic said.

The IS-affiliated Amaq news agency published video purportedly showing the aftermath of what it called a “massacre perpetrated by Iraqi aircraft” in al-Qaim.

The footage showed vehicles on fire on a main road lined with shops, damaged buildings, and the bodies of several children.

Amaq said that more than 120 people had been killed in the air strikes.