ISIS mastermind of Erbil bombings killed in airstrike

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The mastermind behind a double bombing in Erbil was killed in an airstrike in the town of Hawija on Tuesday, said the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) in a statement.

According to the KRSC, Alaw Paer Ahmad Al-Azawi, known as Abu Qasim and a high-ranking member of the Islamic State (ISIS) was responsible for planning a car bomb attack on the Erbil governor’s building last November and the most recent bombing near the US consulate in Ainkawa.

“He (Abu Qasim) also had a hand in many other terrorist attacks, especially inside Kirkuk,” said the statement.

The KRSC said that Abu Qasem was killed in a targeted airstrike on Tuesday afternoon based on intelligence sharing between the Kurdish anti-terror forces and the US-led coalition.

In an earlier report the KRSC said that the Kurdish security forces (Asayish) had arrested five men who confessed their involvement in the attack on the US consulate on April 17.

 Abu Qasim was killed in an airstrike in Hawija, west of Kirkuk