Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
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Iraqi Army Kills 3 Terrorists in Diyala

A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)
A Turkish soldier patrols on a road near the Turkish-Iraqi border, on October 23, 2011. (Mustafa Ozer/AFP)

Three terrorists were killed in two airstrikes launched by Iraqi forces within the Diyala Operations Sector, the Iraqi Security Media Cell (SMC) said in a statement on Sunday.

“Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes killing three terrorists and injuring another, in addition to destroying a cave in the Zarlouk area in the Hamrin mountains,” the Cell said.

The operation was conducted thanks to accurate intelligence data received from the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (INIS), in coordination with the targeting cell in the Joint Operations Command.

"The security forces, with their various formations, are determined to continue their qualitative and preemptive operations against the remaining defeated terrorist elements in the mountains and deserts," SMC stressed.

Separately, a Turkish soldier was killed and another was injured on Saturday in a military operation against Kurdish fighters in the north of Iraq, Turkey’s defense ministry reported.

It brings to seven the number of Turkish troops killed in the region since Tuesday.

The Ministry said the incident happened when an explosive device went off while Turkish soldiers were passing near it.

Turkey is conducting several operations in Iraq and Syria against the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) that Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

In mid-April, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock to target PKK hideouts in northern Iraq's Metina, Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions.

The operation was preceded by Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists who hide in northern Iraq and plot cross-border attacks in Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently announced that his country was about to launch a new military operation against the PKK in northern Syria aimed at creating a 30- kilometer security zone along the border.



UN Urges Israel to Stop Advancement of Settlement

Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
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UN Urges Israel to Stop Advancement of Settlement

Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinian hamlets are seen at the E1 area, an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, between the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim and the occupied West Bank town of Eizariya Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

The United Nations calls on Israel to reverse its decision to start work on a long-delayed settlement that would divide the West Bank and cut it off from East Jerusalem, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.

"It would put an end to prospects of a two-state solution," Dujarric told reporters.

"Settlements go against international law... further entrench the occupation."

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced work would start on the long-delayed settlement, a move his office said would "bury" the idea of a Palestinian state.

The Palestinian government, allies and campaign groups condemned the scheme, calling it illegal and saying the fragmentation of territory would rip up peace plans for the region.

Standing at the site of the planned settlement in Maale Adumim on Thursday, Smotrich, a settler himself, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump had agreed to the revival of the E1 development, though there was no immediate confirmation from either.

The United States responded to Smotrich's announcement by saying that a stable West Bank is in line with the Trump administration's goal for peace in the region.

Asked about Smotrich's statement that Netanyahu and Trump had agreed to the revival of the so-called E1 development, a spokesperson for the US State Department said the US remained focused on ending the war in Gaza and ensuring Hamas will never govern that territory again.

"A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this administration's goal to achieve peace in the region," the spokesperson said, while referring to the Israeli government for further information.