Baghdad, Feb 13 (IANS): Two Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in an airstrike in the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military said.
Acting on intelligence, Iraqi forces conducted an airstrike on Sunday, targeting an IS hideout in the rugged area in Kirkuk, according to a statement from the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.
A joint force of army and intelligence personnel searched the bombed area on Wednesday, where they found the bodies of two militants, with one identified as Adnan Khalil Jad'an, nicknamed Haji Awad, and the other believed to be an IS leader who will be identified later, the statement said.
It noted that the forces found various weapons, mobile phones, and other logistical supplies in the hideout, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Intelligence from the 11th Infantry Division led to the identification of the cell in the Zghaitoun Valley near Al-Kuba village. The information was relayed to the Military Intelligence Directorate under the Joint Operations Command (JOC), which coordinated the strike," the source added.
According to JOC, "The airstrike was successfully executed despite difficult terrain, with ground forces later recovering the bodies of two militants. Among them was Adnan Khalil Jad'an, known as Haji Awad, who was responsible for a previous attack that killed four Iraqi soldiers. Security forces also seized weapons, communication devices, and logistical supplies from the site."
On February 10, a security source in Kirkuk confirmed the launch of a large-scale operation to recover the bodies of ISIS militants following the strike.
The Zghaitoun Valley, known for its rugged geography, has long served as a stronghold for insurgent groups. Despite its territorial defeat, ISIS remains active in the region, relying on ambushes, bombings, and kidnappings to destabilise security.
On January 11, four members of the Islamic State, including two senior leaders, were killed in an airstrike carried out by Iraqi aircraft in the Hamrin Mountains in eastern Iraq, security officials said.
While Iraq declared victory over IS in 2017, remnants of the group continue to carry out attacks against security forces and civilians in urban areas, deserts, and remote regions.