Iraqi army kills four Islamic State terrorists on Syrian border
Paramilitary fighters and military vehicles are seen during a military operation to retake positions held by Islamic State militants, on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province, north of Baghdad January 25, 2015. Picture taken January 25, 2015. REUTERS
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi army said on Tuesday that its warplanes killed four Islamic State terrorists and destroyed two armored vehicles in an airstrike on the country’s border with Syria.
“The Iraqi Air Force targeted a gathering of Islamic State militants in the a desert region of al-Jazirah, leaving four militants dead and two armored vehicles destroyed,” the Arabic-language Almaalomah news website quoted the Security Media Cell as saying in a press statement.
The Joint Operations Command had launched the “Victory Will” operation on Sunday morning to pursue Islamic State remnants, who are still at large on the country’s vast border with Syria, mainly in Nineveh, Salahuddin and Anbar provinces.
The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city.
Later on, the group has become notorious for its brutality, including mass killings, abductions and beheadings, prompting the U.S. to lead an international coalition to destroy it.
The jihadist group had seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2014, when it proclaimed a “caliphate” and imposed its rule over some 10 million people.