WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st May, 2020) The US-Led coalition has destroyed ten Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) terrorist group caves in Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) announced in a release on Thursday.
"Coalition forces conducted airstrikes on Daesh [IS] fighters hiding in 10 caves across the Hamrin Mountains, Iraq, April 29, 2020," the release said. "The Hamrin Mountains are a known Daesh safe haven with intricate tunnel and cave systems used to smuggle weapons, facilitate senior leader movements and plot terrorist attacks in the region. Daesh senior leaders and their operatives have used the rugged mountains as one of their last remaining operating areas in Iraq."
The Joint Task Force pointed out that the airstrikes were carried out in coordination with the Iraqi Government.
"After the strikes, the 14th Iraqi Army Division and security forces found ISIS documents, electronic devices, and fragments of weapons and other equipment," the release noted. "The ground search continues; much of the cave complex is inaccessible, post-strike; Initial estimates are 5-10 Daesh fighters were killed; this number may be revised as based on follow-on searches."
The US-led coalition of more than 60 nations has been carrying out airstrikes and other operations against the Islamic State in Iraq since August 2014 and in Syria since September 2014. However, the coalition has acted in Syria without the approval of the Syrian government or the UN Security Council.
From: Liudmila Chernova - [email protected]
