Iraqi security destroys 10 ISIS hideouts in Kirkuk, Diyala
Iraqi F-16 fighter jet. Photo: US Air Forces Central Command
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Security Media Cell (ISMC) announced on Wednesday that the Iraqi Air Force carried out airstrikes against hideouts used by ISIS terrorists in Diyala and Kirkuk governorates.
The ISMC said in a statement that the operation resulted in the destruction of 10 hideouts used by ISIS terrorists, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
The statement explained that the operation was launched under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command following information received by Iraqi intelligence agencies.
Four hideouts were destroyed in the northeastern Iraqi governorate of Diyala, and six hideouts were destroyed in Kirkuk governorate in northern Iraq.
The air strikes aim to prevent ISIS terrorists from using their hideouts and to cut off their logistical supply routes.
After the terrorist organization took control of large areas in Syria and Iraq in 2014, ISIS suffered successive defeats in the two countries before losing all of its territory in 2019.
Iraq declared its victory over ISIS in late 2017, but the terrorist organization continues to have some members in the country’s remote areas, where they sometimes assault security personnel.
The Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS) reported a decline in attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first quarter of 2023, when terrorists were still active despite their defeat.
Compared to the same period in 2022, ISIS assaults in Iraq decreased by 68 percent between the beginning of 2023 and the first week of April 2023.
According to a United Nations assessment from February 2023, ISIS still maintains 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters in neighboring Syria and Iraq, roughly half of whom are fighters.