Iraqi Air Force carries out three airstrikes in southern Kirkuk
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Air Force warplanes carried out three air strikes against suspected ISIS targets in Wadi Shai in southern Kirkuk, Iraqi military spokesperson Yehia Rasool announced on Wednesday.
With the planning and supervision of the Joint Operations Command, and in coordination with the Military Intelligence and the targeting cell of the Joint Operations Command, the Iraqi Air Force planes carried out three devastating strikes in Wadi Shai within the Kirkuk Operations pic.twitter.com/0pdo93lrDR
— يحيى رسول | Yehia Rasool (@IraqiSpoxMOD) September 22, 2021
The airstrikes were carried out “by Sukhoi 25 aircraft, during which they targeted terrorist hideouts”, Rasool said in a tweet.
“While the F-16s carried out other strikes, they destroyed the rest of these dens,” he added. “Columns of smoke were seen rising and loud explosions sounded in the place.”
The Sukhoi Su-25 ‘Frogfoot’ is a Russian-built warplane specialized for ground attack missions.
ISIS attacks have escalated in Kirkuk, its surroundings, and other territories disputed by Baghdad and Erbil since the withdrawal of Kurdish Peshmerga forces in October 2017.
On September 5, an attack by ISIS militants against an Iraqi federal police unit in southern Kirkuk province killed at least 12 policemen.
On September 8, Iraqi security forces raided three ISIS hideouts in western Kirkuk province, destroying them and seizing several explosive devices.