SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Two Islamic State terrorists were killed amid an operation launched by the Iraqi forces, covering the outskirts of Salah al-Din governorate, a senior military commander said on Sunday.
At least two terrorists were killed with the destruction of a secret tunnel dug by the terrorists, the state news agency cited a senior military commander in the Iraqi military as saying.
The operation covered the areas in Hamrin mount in Salah al-Din, a key mount the remnants of the defeated Islamic State operating, and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization forces (PMF) joined the operation as well, said the commander.
Hamrin mountain range and the surrounding remote areas are turned into a hotspot for Islamic State terrorist group militants since its major defeat by the Kurdish and Iraqi forces in 2017.
The remnants of militants built a large number of hide-outs and dens in what is so-known as the disputed areas between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the Federal government. They utilized the space to regroup and carry out partisan attacks inside the area’s security vacuum.