Iraq’s Joint Operations Command: F-16 strike wipes out ISIS hideout

BAGHDAD — F-16 fighter jets destroyed an Islamic State hideout in the Wadi Al-Shay area of Salah Al-Din on Saturday, the Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said in a statement.

“Continuing the offensive security effort carried out by our heroic armed forces to eliminate the remnants of ISIS terrorist gangs, and through the distinguished intelligence and technical effort of the Air Targeting Cell of the Joint Operations Command, a hideout containing a group of terrorists was monitored in Wadi Al-Shay in eastern Salah Al-Din,” the statement said.

According to the statement, the airstrike led to “the killing of all the terrorists inside” and the destruction of weapons, equipment, and communication devices.

The command said further details would be released later.

The Islamic State group seized major Iraqi cities like Mosul and Tikrit in 2014 and declared a “caliphate,” quickly gaining infamy for its brutality and attacks on minority communities. Although the militants were largely defeated in Iraq by 2017 through combined efforts of Iraqi forces, Kurdish Peshmerga and a U.S.-led coalition, remnants continue to pose security concerns especially from remote areas.