Two airstrikes

Iraqi F-16s target ISIS hideout in region straddling Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk

SALAH AL-DIN — Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes in the Al-Zarka area, east of Salah Al-Din, targeting an alleged ISIS hideout, according to the Joint Operations Command.

In a statement, the command explained that military intelligence, under the supervision and planning of the targeting cell, identified a four-member ISIS unit holed up in a hideout on the border between Salah Al-Din and Kirkuk.

“Based on this precise intelligence, F-16 aircraft executed two airstrikes on the hideout, resulting in its complete destruction and the killing of those inside, who were members of ISIS terrorist gangs,” the statement said.

The Islamic State emerged in 2014, capturing major cities like Mosul and Tikrit and declaring a so-called “caliphate.” Known for its extreme violence and attacks on minority communities, the group was militarily defeated in Iraq by 2017 through the efforts of Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and a U.S.-led coalition.

However, remnants continue to operate as an insurgency, launching occasional attacks from remote areas.

On Wednesday, the Kurdistan Region’s Asayish security forces announced the arrest of five individuals they allege are ISIS militants in three separate operations on the outskirts of Sulaymaniyah.

On Jan. 28, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Forces dismantled several ISIS positions in the desert areas southwest of Mosul, confiscating and destroying various weapons.