Iraqi Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons conduct a training mission over Iraq May 26, 2019. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Russ Scalf)
On January 10, F-16 fighter jets of the Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) attacked two hideouts of ISIS cells in the western province of al-Anbar, the heartland of the terrorist group’s insurgency.
The fighter jets targeted the hideouts with several precision-guided munitions, completely destroying them both. The IQAF said in a statement that a number of terrorists who were taking shelter in the hideouts were killed as a result of the pinpoint airstrikes.
This was the first attack by the IQAF on ISIS this year. In the last few months, the air force stepped up its airstrikes on the terrorist group’s cells and their hideouts across the country.
Between December 28 and 30, IQAF F-16 fighter jets and AC-208 Combat Caravan counter-insurgency aircraft eliminated 13 terrorist of ISIS in the eastern province of Diyala. The deadly airstrikes forced the terrorist group’s cells there to halt most of their activities.
Last year, the IQAF improved coordination with local intelligence services. This led to a notable improvement in the security situation in remote parts of Iraq’s western, norther and eastern regions.
The Iraqi military, intelligence and security forces have developed their counter-terrorism tactics to the point where they can operate against ISIS in any part of the country without any support from the United States-led coalition.
