SULAIMANI (ESTA) — At least eight Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed in an airstrike in Kirkuk province on Friday, a military spokesman said.
Yehia Rasool, spokesman for commander-in-chief of the armed forces, said Iraqi warplanes carried out a “precise strike” against a hideout of the militant group in Kirkuk.
The strike killed “8 terrorists”, which was conducted in coordination with the counter-terrorism forces, Rasool was quoted as saying.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
Iraqi commanders have warned that the group has been regrouping in northern Iraq and relying on women to secure logistical support for their operatives in the Hamrin mountain range.
The area is caught between the jurisdictions of the Iraqi security forces and the Peshmerga forces.
Commander of Kirkuk joint operations Ali al-Freji said last week that 17 ISIS militants were killed and 18 hideouts were destroyed in the province in the past two weeks.
