Iraqi air force strikes ISIS hideout in Anbar desert

ANBAR — The Iraqi Air Force carried out two airstrikes early Sunday targeting an Islamic State hideout in a remote area of Anbar governorate, according to the Joint Operations Command.

In a statement, the command said the strikes were conducted at 2:00 a.m. and 2:20 a.m. following intelligence gathered by the Military Intelligence Directorate and planning by the Joint Operations Command’s targeting cell.

The statement said the operation resulted in “two successful airstrikes on an ISIS terrorist hideout in remote areas deep in the Anbar desert.”

A joint force from the Iraqi Army’s Fifth Division and supporting units, led by the division commander, was dispatched to inspect the targeted site.

The Joint Operations Command said additional details on the operation would be announced later.

Islamic State declared its self-styled caliphate in 2014, controlling large parts of Iraq and Syria before losing its territory by 2019. The group continues to operate through sleeper cells, particularly in desert and mountainous areas.

Earlier this month, Iraq’s Military Intelligence Directorate announced the arrest of Abu Musab, the chief official responsible for distributing financial allowances and support payments to ISIS members and their families within the so-called Wilayat al-Furat, or Euphrates Province, in what authorities described as a swift and specialized security operation.