The Iraqi Air Force has carried out a series of devastating air strikes against Islamic State positions just north of Baghdad. The attacks took place in an area near the city of Samarra and the Tigris river. In early January, the group formerly known as ISIS/ISIL had surrounded Samarra, which despite being a predominately Sunni city, is home to one of the Shiite movement’s holiest sites, the Al-Askari shrine.

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