Three ISIS militants killed in joint operation in Salah Al-Din

SALAH AL-DIN — Three Islamic State fighters were killed in a joint operation carried out by security forces from Sulaymaniyah and Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service in the Palkana mountains, a counterterrorism source said Saturday.

The operation targeted a mountainous area between Tuz Khurmatu and Kifri districts, where ISIS cells have previously sought to establish footholds.

The Palkana region lies between the security jurisdictions of the Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces and has been the focus of repeated joint operations aimed at clearing militant hideouts.

In March, Iraqi F-16 fighter jets struck a suspected ISIS position in the same area, destroying what authorities described as a “terrorist” unit.

Though the Islamic State lost its territorial control in Iraq in 2017, remnants of the group continue to operate in remote areas. Security forces carry out near-daily operations to pursue remaining cells. The group declared a caliphate in 2014 but lost its last Syrian stronghold in 2019.