The Pentagon has confirmed a strike against an Islamist group in northern Iraq that the United States accuses of ties to al Qaeda.
"At this point we continue to have special operating forces in the North. In fact there was a strike as part of last night's operation against the facility ... Khurmal. We're still gathering battle damage assessment from that," Army Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, vice director for operations on US military's Joint Staff, told a media briefing.
A Kurdish faction running part of northern Iraq had earlier today said US forces fired missiles and launched an air raid on the stronghold of Ansar al-Islam.