Iraqi air strike kills 2 ISIS leaders in Hamrin Mountains

The Joint Operations Command announced on Tuesday that two ISIS leaders have been killed in an air strike in the Hamrin Mountains in northeastern Iraq.

The Joint Operations Command mentioned in a statement that Iraqi Air Force fighter jets carried out an air strike against a hideout belonging to ISIS terrorists in the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala governorate, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.

The statement added that equipment, weapons, and ammunition belonging to ISIS terrorists were discovered, along with the deaths of two ISIS leaders.

The air strike, which was carried out by F-16 fighter jets, followed intelligence efforts by the Iraqi Directorate of General Military Intelligence (DGMI).

Iraq announced in late 2017 the liberation of all its territories from the grip of ISIS, but the authorities are constantly launching security operations to pursue remnants of the terrorist group that carry out attacks from time to time in the country.

The Iraqi security forces waged battles in several Iraqi governorates, including Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah Al-Din, Anbar, and the outskirts of Baghdad, to eliminate the remaining members of the ISIS group, which occupied large areas in Iraq and Syria for years.

The Global Coalition against Daesh (ISIS) reported last April a decline in attacks in Iraq and Syria during the first quarter of 2023, when terrorists were still active despite their defeat.

Compared to the same period in 2022, ISIS assaults in Iraq decreased by 68 percent between the beginning of 2023 and the first week of April 2023.

According to a United Nations assessment from February 2023, ISIS still maintains 5,000 to 7,000 members and supporters in neighboring Syria and Iraq, roughly half of whom are fighters.