Iraq’s air force kills four in strike on suspected ISIS hideout

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi security forces on Friday announced that four people were killed in airstrikes on a suspected Islamic State (ISIS) hideout in Salahaddin province.

Intelligence forces identified an ISIS hideout in the Palakana area of eastern Salahaddin, the Security Media Cell said in a statement.

“After cross-checking and analyzing information… our brave air force, using F-16 jets, carried out a precise and successful airstrike at 17:50 on Friday. The strike turned the hideout into rubble over the terrorists, killing them,” read the statement.

The hideout “contained weapons, ammunition, explosives, and various logistical and technical supplies,” it added.

ISIS was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017, but Iraqi forces continue to carry out frequent operations targeting suspected militants who take advantage of the security vacuum between federal and Kurdish forces in the disputed territories that stretch across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh, as well as in the western deserts of Anbar province.

Earlier this week, Iraqi forces conducted a joint operation with the global coalition in the Hamrin Mountains, killing nine senior ISIS officials, including the jihadists’ top leader in Iraq.

Two US soldiers were injured in the operation.