ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A number of suspected Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed early Thursday when Iraqi warplanes struck their hideout in the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala province, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said.
“F-16 aircraft carried out a successful airstrike at 7:00 this morning on Thursday, during which they targeted a terrorist hideout in the Hamrin Mountains … which led to the killing of the terrorists and the destruction of what was in the hideout,” the cell said in a statement.
Inside the hideout was a “fuel tank, ammunition, and logistical materials,” according to the cell, and the location was allegedly used as a base to provide logistical support for ISIS.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory during a brazen offensive in 2014, sweeping through vast stretches of northern and central Iraq.
But the jihadists’ so-called “caliphate” would come to an end in 2017 as Iraqi and Kurdish fighters, supported by a US-led international coalition, clawed back territory from the group.
Despite its territorial defeat, ISIS has continued to pose security threats to the country through hit-and-run attacks, bombings, and abductions in several provinces, particularly in areas disputed between the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), which stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk.
Iraq’s air force regularly pursues and targets ISIS hideouts across the country, particularly in the disputed areas.
To combat ISIS in these areas, the Iraqi government and the KRG’s Peshmerga ministry agreed in 2021 to form two joint brigades that will be under full control of Baghdad.
Despite the agreement, the formation of the brigades was delayed because of turmoil around forming the government after the 2021 election and lack of funding. There is also a historic lack of trust between the two forces. In October, a misunderstanding between them in the Makhmour area led to a deadly altercation.
In late June, at least seven ISIS members were killed in two separate airstrikes in Salahaddin province, days after three ISIS members were killed in an operation in Kirkuk.
