Front VIDEO: Watch! Iraqi Choppers Target ISIS Convoy South of Mosul

The air strike occurred in a desert area near the town of Qayara, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Mosul, a city currently occupied by the terrorist militants.

The ministry said the convoy was fleeing the city, considered to be the militants’ central stronghold in Iraq.

Video released by the ministry showed Iraqi soldiers standing near the burning wreckage of several vehicles.

Iraq’s military has retaken several villages from Islamic State (ISIS / Daesh / ISIL) in recent weeks as it advances on Mosul.

One key victory was capturing an airbase at Qayara which is expected to be used as a staging ground in an offensive against the city.

The recapture of Mosul, Islamic State’s de facto Iraqi capital, from which its leader declared a modern-day caliphate in 2014, would be a major boost for the plans by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the United States to weaken the militant group.

Abadi has pledged to retake Mosul by the end of the year.