BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Iraqi Prime Minister ordered airstrikes against ISIS positions inside Syria for the first time since the country started to fight against the extremist group in 2014, according to a statement from his office on Friday.
“We are determined to prosecute terrorism wherever found, which seeks to kill our children and our citizens. Thereby, we issued our orders to the command of the air force to attack the terrorist position of ISIS in Hasiba as well as al-Bukamal inside the Syrian territories which were responsible for the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad. The heroes of the air force carried out the retaliatory operation against the terrorists with great success,” the statement reads.
The airstrikes took place Friday morning after days of careful preparation, according to a statement from Iraq’s Joint Command.
“Today, this morning the heroes of the Iraqi air force attacked terrorist enemy targets in the areas of al-Hasiba and al-Bukamal inside the Syrian territories with F16 fighter jets and destroyed the nests of the ISIS gangs and their headquarters entirely,” the Joint Command statement reads. “Iraqi strikes will remain capable of reacting to all their places of presence.”
The revelation was part of eight new directives to the Iraqi forces who began a fresh offensive against ISIS in Mosul on Sunday.
Al-Bukamal is located on the border in the Deir ez-Zor governorate in Syria on the Euphrates River.
Hasiba is an area near the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.
Iraqi forces deployed about 3,000 troops to fight ISIS in the western province of Anbar as early as October, near the Syrian border.
The deployment was in the far west of the province, the largest by area. The Iraqi army, supported by Shiite and pro-government Sunni fighters, regained control of Anbar’s capital city Ramadi in late 2015.
As ISIS lost territory in Iraq, the militants have frequently targeted Baghdad, carrying out deadly suicide bombings.
Last week, three car bombs targeted the Iraqi capital — at least 45 were killed and 49 injured near Bayaa district; a truck bomb in Sadr City killed at least 15; and at least four were killed in another bombing.
Last month, at least 12 people were killed and 39 wounded at in Jamilah, Baghdad's primary vegetable market.
On July 3, 2016, ISIS carried out its deadliest attack ever in coordinated bombings that killed more than 300 people, culminating in a suicide truck bomb targeting the district of Karrada.
“We are determined to prosecute terrorism wherever found, which seeks to kill our children and our citizens. Thereby, we issued our orders to the command of the air force to attack the terrorist position of ISIS in Hasiba as well as al-Bukamal inside the Syrian territories which were responsible for the recent terrorist attacks in Baghdad. The heroes of the air force carried out the retaliatory operation against the terrorists with great success,” the statement reads.
The airstrikes took place Friday morning after days of careful preparation, according to a statement from Iraq’s Joint Command.
“Today, this morning the heroes of the Iraqi air force attacked terrorist enemy targets in the areas of al-Hasiba and al-Bukamal inside the Syrian territories with F16 fighter jets and destroyed the nests of the ISIS gangs and their headquarters entirely,” the Joint Command statement reads. “Iraqi strikes will remain capable of reacting to all their places of presence.”
The revelation was part of eight new directives to the Iraqi forces who began a fresh offensive against ISIS in Mosul on Sunday.
Al-Bukamal is located on the border in the Deir ez-Zor governorate in Syria on the Euphrates River.
Hasiba is an area near the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province.
Iraqi forces deployed about 3,000 troops to fight ISIS in the western province of Anbar as early as October, near the Syrian border.
The deployment was in the far west of the province, the largest by area. The Iraqi army, supported by Shiite and pro-government Sunni fighters, regained control of Anbar’s capital city Ramadi in late 2015.
As ISIS lost territory in Iraq, the militants have frequently targeted Baghdad, carrying out deadly suicide bombings.
Last week, three car bombs targeted the Iraqi capital — at least 45 were killed and 49 injured near Bayaa district; a truck bomb in Sadr City killed at least 15; and at least four were killed in another bombing.
Last month, at least 12 people were killed and 39 wounded at in Jamilah, Baghdad's primary vegetable market.
On July 3, 2016, ISIS carried out its deadliest attack ever in coordinated bombings that killed more than 300 people, culminating in a suicide truck bomb targeting the district of Karrada.
