Iraqi airstrikes kill 9 IS militants, including 4 Lebanese

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Officials say Iraqi airstrikes killed nine suspected Islamic State fighters, including four Lebanese, in retaliation for an IS attack on Iraqi army barracks earlier this month. Among those killed in Sunday’s north of Baghdad strikes were at least four Lebanese. IS gunmen in Iraq broke into a barracks in the mountainous al-Azim district outside the town of Baqouba on Jan. 21, killed a guard and shot dead 11 soldiers as they slept. It was one of the boldest attacks by the militants in recent weeks and came amid an uptick in violence that stoked fears the group has been re-energized.