Three Iraqi soldiers wounded in Kirkuk during anti-ISIS operation
The Iraqi fighter jets conducted airstrikes against the suspected militants and their hideouts in Kirkuk on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A roadside bomb explosion wounded at least three Iraqi soldiers on Thursday during the military’s anti-ISIS operation in southern Kirkuk, a police source told Kurdistan 24.
The explosion took place near the Rokhana River in Kirkuk’s Daquq district, where the forces were conducting a sweeping operation against ISIS remnants, a Kirkuk Police confirmed to Kurdistan 24 on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions.
Iraqi forces regularly conduct man-hunt operations in the remote areas of Kirkuk, Saladin, and Diyala against the group’s remnants.
The Iraqi fighter jets conducted airstrikes against the suspected militants and their hideouts in Kirkuk on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The anti-ISIS operations by the Iraqi forces come as the Global Coalition Against ISIS and United Nations warned that threat from the group is ongoing despite decreased attacks.
Following the conclusion of the anti-ISIS US-led coalition's combat mission in late 2021, the Iraqi air force has increased its air campaign against the remnants of the group.
As part of these efforts, Iraqi airstrikes have killed at least 70 ISIS militants, a top official said in June.
The terror group occupied approximately one-third of Iraq for nearly three years, including its second-largest city Mosul.
Since the group's self-styled caliphate was destroyed by Kurdish, Iraqi, and international forces, it has regrouped in remote parts of the country. It continues to carry out hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.
The Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces regularly conduct joint operations with the Iraqi forces against ISIS in the so-called "disputed territories" between Erbil and Baghdad, where the group is most active.
Additional reporting by Kurdistan 24 Kirkuk reporter Soran Kamaran