The US military has announced coalition forces carried out eight air strikes against ISIL militants in Iraq over a 24-hour period around March 9, 2015.<br /><br /> Four assaults near Kirkuk have reportedly demolished fighting positions, a heavy machine gun and a potential car bomb. Tactical units are also said to have been hit.<br /><br /> The route to Mosul<br /><br /> Three other strikes hit tactical units near to Fallujah, some 70 km west of the capital Baghdad, while another reportedly struck near Mosul.<br /><br /> Currently the largest ISIL-controlled city in Iraq, Mosul is the final goal in the latest operation to drive militants out of the country.<br /><br /> Saddam Hussein’s former hometown of Tikrit will be the next goal on the route to Mosul. On Tuesday, March 10, the mayor of neighbouring al-Alam claimed government forces had taken total control of his town and were closing in on Tikrit.<br /><br /> #photooftheday A Shi’ite fighter gestures in front of a billboard on a street in the town of al-Alam, #Iraq Mar. 9 pic.twitter.com/jr
