A Prominent Leader of Islamic State (IS) group and four extremist militants were killed on Sunday in a US-led coalition airstrike near the IS stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq, a security source said.

The airstrike destroyed four IS positions near the newly-freed town of Qayyara near Mosul, Xinhua news agency reported

The prominent leader of IS, among the five killed, was said to be close to the top IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, a security source on condition of anonymity told Xinhua citing an intelligence report.

The source didn’t give the name of the prominent leader, adding that there were six other IS militants injured in the airstrike.

On August 25, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the liberation of Qayyara after defeating the extremist militants.