Coalition jets target militants holed up in northern Iraq - local mayor
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Coalition warplanes bombed a militant group's hideout in Kifri on Monday, a disputed area in the north claimed by both Erbil and Baghdad.
The White Flags is thought to be one of a number of groups to emerge from the fragments of ISIS following its routing from Iraq’s major urban centers.
The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have previously conducted clearance operations on the Kirkuk-Tuz Khurmatu-Kifri road in a bid to neutralize ISIS and the White Flag militants in the unstable and disputed area.
Although the Iraqi government declared the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, there have been sporadic military confrontations between ISIS remnants and ISF which have included Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga — around Makhmour and in the Hamrin mountains in Saladin province — in coordination with the US-led international anti-ISIS coaliton.
The operation comes as the Iraqi Army and the federal government are bolstering efforts to secure the dangerous stretch of road, which sees frequent kidnappings and assassinations conducted by ISIS remnants.
Jalal Anwar, the mayor of Kifri, said the coalition jets had struck positions of the White Flag group near Nawjul and that two planes have been spotted surveilling the aftermath.
No details of casualties among the militants were revealed. Kifri town in Diyala province is 188 kilometers southeast of Erbil and near Tuz Khurmatu and Kalar.
The White Flags is thought to be one of a number of groups to emerge from the fragments of ISIS following its routing from Iraq’s major urban centers.
The Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have previously conducted clearance operations on the Kirkuk-Tuz Khurmatu-Kifri road in a bid to neutralize ISIS and the White Flag militants in the unstable and disputed area.
Although the Iraqi government declared the defeat of ISIS in December 2017, there have been sporadic military confrontations between ISIS remnants and ISF which have included Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Peshmerga — around Makhmour and in the Hamrin mountains in Saladin province — in coordination with the US-led international anti-ISIS coaliton.
The operation comes as the Iraqi Army and the federal government are bolstering efforts to secure the dangerous stretch of road, which sees frequent kidnappings and assassinations conducted by ISIS remnants.
Kurdish officials have warned of a security vacuum between Peshmerga and Iraqi forces in the disputed or Kurdistani areas.