Reports of new late-night U.S. airstrikes north of Baghdad are starting to be confirmed. According to developing reports a convoy of two or three vehicles carrying Iran-back Shia Militia leaders was targeted near Taji in Northern Baghdad. [Convoy pic below]

The strike is reported to have killed Qais Khazali, one of the people the US named as responsible for storming of US Embassy in Baghdad. Also Shibl al-Zaydi is now confirmed to have been killed. Shibl was the leader of Kata’ib al-Imam Ali or the Imam Ali Battalions.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Air strikes targeting Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed Shi’ite militias near camp Taji north of Baghdad have killed six people and critically wounded three, an Iraqi army source said late on Friday. Two of the three vehicles making up a militia convoy were found burned, the source said, as well as six burned corpses. The strikes took place at 1:12 am local time, he said. (link)

It would appear the U.S. has ongoing excellent intelligence on the movements of key Iranian militia leadership operating in Iraq, and are now working through a list of those targets as they attempt to move around.

#BREAKING

Reports indicate Shbl al-Zaidi, commander of the #Iran-backed Kataib Imam Ali militia group & close to Qasem Soleimani, was targeted by a U.S. airstrike near Taji, north of Baghdad, Iraq. Credit: @BaxtiyarGoran pic.twitter.com/osXmZev4Ow — Heshmat Alavi (@HeshmatAlavi) January 3, 2020

BREAKING – New US strike on #Iran-linked militias in #Iraq just killed Shubul al-Zaidi, the leader of the Imam Ali Brigades outside Taji. He was close (see on left) to #Soleimani & Abu Mahdi al-Mohandis, both killed 24hrs ago. pic.twitter.com/6gZmfexxrm — Charles Lister (@Charles_Lister) January 3, 2020