JOC discovers three dead terrorists in Hamrin Mountains airstrike

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the Joint Operations Command (JOC) discovered three terrorist bodies at the site of an airstrike in the Hamrin Mountains range, in northeast Iraq.

The Command stated that “today’s dawn airstrike by F-16s in the Hamrin Mountains, on the border between the Kirkuk and Saladin Operations Commands, was highly coordinated between the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) and the JOC's targeting cell.”

"A force from the CTS Battalion Kirkuk, aided by advanced technical and reconnaissance support from the JOC's targeting cell, searched the strike site and found three dead terrorists," it clarified.

Furthermore, the Command affirmed that " the force seized light weapons, ammunition, two explosive belts, destructive weapons, equipment, communication devices, and various logistical materials.”

Earlier today, Iraqi warplanes carried out an airstrike on a group of ISIS fighters in the Hamrin Mountains range.

ISIS remains a hidden threat as it continues to carry out attacks and maintain sleeper cells despite losing its caliphate and key leaders.

A recent report by The Associated Press suggested that the group continues to recruit members and claim responsibility for deadly attacks around the world, including lethal operations in Iran and Russia earlier this year that left scores dead. Its sleeper cells in Syria and Iraq still carry out attacks against government forces in both countries as well as US-backed Syrian fighters, at a time when Iraq's government is negotiating with Washington over a possible withdrawal of US troops.

The United Nations says the group still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.

Still, at least in Iraq, government and military officials have asserted that the group is too weak to stage a comeback.