CTS unveils special operation against ISIS in Iraq, seven militants killed

Shafaq News /Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Monday the details of a special operation along the borders of Saladin, Kirkuk, and Diyala.

In a statement, the CTS revealed that the operations began in the Hamrin Mountains in coordination with the Joint Operations Command and included an airstrike, resulting in killing of seven ISIS militants, the destruction of 20 hideouts, three caves, and five tunnels.

“The CTS also seized multiple explosive materials in the border areas between Saladin and Diyala provinces, and destroyed five hideouts in Anbar province,” the statement added.

Earlier today, the CTS declared the death of one of its members during an armed clash with ISIS in the Hamrin Mountains.

Notably, since the beginning of 2024, Iraqi forces have intensified counter-terrorism operations in multiple provinces, including Saladin, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Al-Anbar.

At its peak in 2014, ISIS controlled approximately a third of Syria and 40% of Iraq. However, by December 2017, it had lost 95 percent of its territory, including major cities like Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

Despite being defeated in Syria in March 2019, ISIS sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks against the Syrian army and members of the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.