JOC targets ISIS remnants in Iraq's Saladin and Kirkuk
The Joint Operations Command (JOC) announced on Saturday that two airstrikes targeted ISIS remnants in Iraq's Saladin and Kirkuk provinces.
According to a statement, the first strike, conducted on August 12, hit an ISIS stronghold in Wadi al-Shay, eastern Saladin, following several days of intelligence monitoring. F-16 jets destroyed the hideout and killed several militants inside.
A second strike on August 14 targeted another militant location in the Kirkuk operations sector, 'advancing ongoing counterterrorism efforts.''
Later, Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service announced the capture of Salman Khudair Suleiman Dawood, one of the country's most wanted militants for his previous involvement with Al-Qaeda and later with ISIS, in an airborne operation with technical support from the US-led Global Coalition against ISIS.
The arrest took place on the border between the Kirkuk and Saladin operations commands, in the Sarhaid Al-Matar area, where authorities seized weapons, communication devices, and other materials.
Since the beginning of 2025, the Iraqi security forces have conducted dozens of joint operations against ISIS, killing at least 75 militants and arresting more than 50 others.
According to Shafaq News data, based on sources and official statements, the first six months of the year witnessed intensive operations spanning nine provinces against the group's active networks in desert and mountainous areas, particularly in the country's north and west.
The JOC confirmed at least 25 coordinated raids. Kirkuk saw the highest number of operations, followed by Saladin, Al-Anbar, Diyala, Baghdad, Maysan, Nineveh, and the Kurdistan Region province of Al-Sulaymaniyah.
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