IS says it shot down crashed Iraqi intelligence plane

An Iraqi army plane has gone down around Islamic State group territory with the fate of the crew unknown, with extremists claiming they downed the aircraft.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab & agencies

16 March, 2016

An Iraqi intel-gathering plane has gone down over IS-held territories [Getty]

A desperate search has been launched for the crew of an Iraqi army plane which went down around the Islamic State group territories in the north of the country.

The three crew were taking part in a reconnaissance flight near the city of Kirkuk, when the plane crashed after suffering a "technical problem".

The Islamic State group have claimed responsibility and said they shot down the plane.

They said they five crew members were killed in the crash.
The military source said authorities had launched a search for the crew after the Cessna 208 Caravan went down near Kirkuk, around 220 kilometres (135 miles) north of Baghdad.

In a statement on Twitter, IS said it had shot down a military plane with anti-aircraft artillery and that it been on a bombing run against the city of Hawija, a stronghold of the group in Kirkuk province.

Iraqi forces have been making gains against IS in recent months after a major offensive by the extremists in 2014 led to it capturing much of northern Iraq from the Baghdad government.