Iraqi air forces destroy ISIS hideouts in Hamrin Mountains
An Iraqi Air Force helicopter. Photo: Shafaq News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi warplanes destroyed ISIS hideouts in the Hamrin Mountains in northeastern Iraq, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The Joint Operations Command mentioned in a statement on Tuesday that the Iraqi air force carried out an air strike against the terrorists’ hideouts in the Hamrin Mountains.
The air strike destroyed a pick-up vehicle used by ISIS terrorists, a tunnel excavator, and a network of tunnels used by terrorists for logistical support.
Iraq announced in late 2017 the liberation of all its territories from the grip of ISIS, but the authorities are constantly launching security operations to pursue remnants of the terrorist group that carry out attacks from time to time in the country.
The Iraqi security forces waged battles in several Iraqi governorates, including Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah Al-Din, Anbar, and the outskirts of Baghdad, to eliminate the remaining members of the ISIS group following the elimination of the terrorist group, which occupied large areas in Iraq and Syria for years.
The Iraqi authorities have confirmed more than once that the security forces are trying to eliminate remnants of terrorist organizations in the country and tighten restrictions on firearms.
The Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS) reported last April a decline in attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first quarter of 2023, when terrorists were still active despite their defeat.
ISIS attacks in Iraq declined by 68 percent from the beginning of 2023 until the first week of April compared to the same period last year, i24 News reported.
In a report issued in February, the United Nations estimated that ISIS still has ‘5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters’ across Iraq and neighboring Syria, ‘roughly half of whom are fighters,’ i24 News added.