Air raids kill, wound Islamic State militants in Iraq’s Kirkuk

Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Several Islamic State militants were killed and wounded on Friday when Iraqi air forces pounded their hideouts in the south of Kirkuk, a security source was quoted saying.

Alsumaria News quoted the source saying that Iraqi aviation launched airstrikes on Samaka and Daquq regions, leaving several Islamic State militants dead and their hiding places destroyed.

He said the hideouts were located on the road between Daquq and Tuz Khurmatu, and were used as launching points for attacks on civilians and security troops.

raq declared victory over Islamic State militants in December 2017, ending a three-year military campaign against the group to retake areas they had occupied to proclaim a self-styled “caliphate”.

But even after Iraq declared that the militants lost their territorial influence, the group seems to continue to represent a security concern, launching several attacks against security and civilians and causing several death.

Iraqi security forces seized back Kirkuk’s government facilities and oil fields from Kurdish Peshmerga forces last October in response to a poll by Kurdistan Region in which a majority voted for independence from Iraq. But recent reports have told of U.S. efforts to mediate between the Iraqi government and Erbil for the return of Peshmerga troops to the province to toughen security measures.