Fifty IS militants killed in airstrikes over two months in northeast of Diyala: Official
Smoke rises after an airstrike, during the battle against Islamic State militants, at the district of al-Mamoun in Mosul, Iraq, March 1, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani – RTS10XG7
Diyala (IraqiNews.com) Around fifty Islamic State militants were killed in sporadic airstrikes in northeast of Diyala, a local source from the province was quoted saying on Monday.
“Basateen al-Mekheisa and the surrounding villages located in al-Waqf basin on the outskirts of abu Sayda town, northeast of Diyala, were shelled five times over the past two months,” Awwad al-Rubai’e, head of the security committee of Abu Sayda council, told Alghad Press.
“Most of the airstrikes were accurate. They targeted pivotal havens of IS militants and sleeper cells,” he said. “The available estimates show that the total number of militants killed due to the air raids, last of which was on Sunday, reached around fifty members.”
Rubai’e added that Waqf basin has become an unsafe shelter for the militants due to ongoing operations by security services as well as the aerial bombardment.
Five Islamic State leaders were killed on Sunday evening as Iraqi fighter jets bombarded one of the group’s locations in Basateen al-Makheisa region. Last week, five militants were killed in an airstrike launched by Iraqi jets in Wadi Thilab, located in Neft Khana basin, northeast of Diyala.
Attacks launched by Islamic State militants against security troops, the pro-government forces and civilians surged over the past few weeks in northeast of Diyala, which urge the Iraqi forces to prevent the militants infiltration between Salahuddin and Kirkuk provinces, especially the regions stretching along Hamreen mountains and Al-Azeem town.
IS holds pivotal regions that link between each of Diyala, Salahuddin and Kirkuk, posing threats to the liberated regions.