Iraqi F-16s kill occupants of alleged ISIS hideout: military

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi military said on Sunday that its warplanes shelled an alleged Islamic State hideout in a rural part of Salahuddin province, killing all its occupants.

In a statement, the military said Iraqi F-16 fighter jets launched an airstrike and destroyed a position the terrorist organization held near the city of Tikrit, noting that it had killed all individuals residing in the location.

The statement did not mention any further details.

Amid ongoing fears of suspected terrorists moving freely between Iraq and Syria, Baghdad reportedly strengthened its border presence in parts of both Anbar and Nineveh provinces.

“The border police command established security fortifications along the border between Iraq and Syria in the provinces of Nineveh and Anbar to prevent terrorist escapes and infiltration,” the government-run Iraqi news agency said on Saturday.

This comes amid a coordinated anti-ISIS operation by the Iraqi security forces and the international anti-ISIS coalition in multiple provinces where the terrorist group has a presence, mainly in areas disputed between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the Federal Government of Iraq.

Kurdish Peshmerga commanders have warned the so-called Islamic State could continue to exploit a security vacuum between the Kurdish and Iraqi forces in disputed areas.

On Friday, anti-ISIS coalition warplanes and local security forces killed several alleged Islamic State fighters. Iraqi troops also reportedly captured an individual handling the extremist group’s logistics support in eastern parts of Anbar.

Baghdad declared an official military victory against the Islamic State in late 2017, but the group continues to launch insurgent attacks, ambushes, and kidnappings across much of the country. Officials from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq have repeatedly warned of a possible resurgence of the terrorist group.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany