Pursuing remaining ISIS elements
Iraqi airstrike kills two ISIS members, destroys hideout in Anbar desert
ANBAR — Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out an airstrike in the Anbar desert on Friday, killing two members of the Islamic State group and destroying one of its hideouts, according to a statement from the Joint Operations Command.
The airstrike followed “extensive surveillance and coordination” by the targeting cell and the Military Intelligence Directorate, the statement said.
Multiple secondary explosions were reported, attributed to the destruction of weapons, ammunition, equipment and other logistical materials stored inside the hideout.
The operation was described as part of Iraq’s ongoing efforts to pursue remaining Islamic State elements across the country.
Although the group was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, ISIS remnants continue to operate in remote areas, launching occasional attacks on security forces and civilians. The Islamic State, which declared a caliphate in 2014, lost its final stronghold in Syria in 2019.
A United Nations report released in January 2024 estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 ISIS fighters remain active in Iraq and Syria.
Iraqi counterterrorism operations have continued across multiple governorates. Earlier this month, the country’s Counter-Terrorism Service carried out three missions in the Anbar desert, destroying two vehicles and several hideouts used by ISIS operatives.
