Iraqi forces launched a military operation to eliminate remaining ISIS cells in the Zaghitoun Valley, located between the Kirkuk and Saladin governorates.
The Joint Operations Command said in a statement that airstrikes killed ISIS’ deputy ruler of Kirkuk Maher Hamad Salbi (Abu Obaida) and six of his associates in the Hamrin mountains.
The statement added that Iraqi F-16 jets targeted a key hideout of the militants, who had attempted to attack the forces carrying out the mission.
A special forces unit, with technical support from the Joint Operations Command’s Targeting Cell, reached the site with assistance from Kirkuk Operations Command's engineering efforts.
“A security force arrived at the scene and found an M16 rifle, a thermal scope, two hand grenades, a suicide belt, four ammunition magazines, six mobile phones, a flash drive, a solar panel, and bedding,” the statement added.
The team returned safely after completing the mission.
The statement said security forces surrounded a complex of caves and hideouts in the Hamrin mountains for five days, using precise intelligence to successfully eliminate the remaining ISIS members.
An official source stated that “security forces from the Kirkuk Operations Command launched a large-scale military operation on Friday morning in the Zaghitoun Valley, west of Kirkuk, near Saladin.”
The operation aims to remove ISIS cells in the valley, which has been used by the group as a hideout and occasionally sees terrorist activity. The operation includes destroying ISIS hideouts and cutting off escape routes.
Although the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated in 2017, the group remains active in remote areas, still posing a security threat. The UN estimates the number of ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria at between 1,500 and 3,000.
