Iraqi forces, coalition kill 6 gunmen in anti-ISIS operation in Kirkuk

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi forces announced on Thursday that they had killed six gunmen and destroyed both outposts and tunnels of the Islamic State in an operation they carried out in a remote area of southern Kirkuk Province.

Backed by the international anti-ISIS coalition, elite Iraqi counterterrorism units conducted the military operation in the Wadi al-Shai valley, southwest of Daquq District, as part of ongoing efforts to ​​hunt down remnants of the extremist organization. 

In a statement, the national security comms center known as the Security Media Cell claimed that the forces destroyed 13 hideouts, eight tunnels, and five weapons caches in the valley. The Iraqi air force also participated in the operation.

In its own statement regarding their contribution to the campaign, the US-led coalition said its fighter jets carried out strikes in support of the Iraqi forces to deny the Islamic State the “ability to regroup and reorganize.”

“Since the fall of Daesh’s so-called caliphate in March 2019, remnant Daesh [ISIS] fighters have been attempting to move munitions, equipment, and personnel into Iraq in an effort to set conditions for their resurgence,” the coalition said.

“Although the territory once held by the so-called caliphate is fully liberated, Daesh fighters still exhibit their intention to exert influence and stage a comeback,” said Maj. Gen. Chad Franks, deputy commander-operations and intelligence for Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF–OIR).

Wadi al-Shai is comprised of rugged, barren terrain that has been a haven for members of the terrorist organization who use it as a base from where they can plan and launch attacks in surrounding settlements and towns.

This latest undertaking is part of a campaign by Iraqi and the coalition to target cells of the Islamic State that remain dormant throughout the country, especially in areas with gaps in security such as the nation's disputed territories.

As the military fight against the Islamic State ended in Syria with the collapse of the last scrap of land it controlled in March, the coalition has increased its focus in Iraq, where the group’s insurgency continues. 

Editing by John J. Catherine