Over 40 Islamic State militants killed three airstrikes in Anbar: Ministry
Coalition aircraft while conducting airstrikes against IS in Iraq
In a statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said “the first airstrike a meeting for IS military leaders in al-Jamaheer district in Qaim, as they were planning to target each of Baghdad and Najaf. The airstrike totally destroyed the location, killing 20 militants, some of whom were leaders of the so-called Baghdad, Al-Furat and Anbar states and wounding others.”
Among the main killed members, according to the statement, were “Abu Tareq, the military emir of the so-called Baghdad State. He used to be a former officer. He was close aid of the group’s supreme leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. He planned for several operations in Baghdad including Karrada operation in 2016.”
The second airstrike left “a booby-trapping workshop in al-Furat district, Qaim, destroyed, which exploded three vehicles and killed 12 experts, including booby-trapping experts of several nationalities.”
The third airstrike “targeted a rest house of suicide attackers of the so-called Baghdad State in Qaim,” the statement said. “13 militants were killed, while others were wounded.”
Anbar’s western towns of Qaim and Rawa have been held by the extremist group since 2014, when it occupied one third of Iraq to proclaim a self-styled Islamic “Caliphate”. Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them in 2015 and 2016.
Iraqi army announced the total recapture of the town of Annah, hours after recapturing neighboring Rayhana area, last month. Troops also liberated Akashat region, between Rutba town, on borders with Jordan, and Qaim, on borders with Syria.