File image.
On May 7, F-16IQ fighter jets of the Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) targeted a hideout of ISIS cells in the countryside of the eastern province of Diyala.
The IQAF said in a statement that the hideout was completely destroyed as a result of the airstrikes, adding that a number of terrorists who were taking shelter there at the time were killed. The air force also shared footage of the pinpoint airstrikes.
This was the second such operation by the IQAF in less than a week. On May 4, a series of airstrikes targeted a cell of ISIS that was hiding in Wadi al-Chai, a valley in the northern province of Kirkuk. Three terrorists, including ISIS’s judge in the province, were killed in the airstrikes, according to the Iraqi Security Media Cell.
The IQAF killed dozens of ISIS terrorists in different parts of Iraq in the last few months. In April, at least nine terrorists were killed in two separate operations. The recent operations demonstrated the country’s ability to counter the terrorist group without support from the United States-led coalition.
Despite recent losses, ISIS insurgency in Iraq will not likely end in the near future. The terrorist group still has resources and even some support in the country’s western, northern and eastern regions.
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