ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A number of Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed in an operation carried out by the Iraqi air force against the terror group in Diyala province, state media said on Sunday. F-16 jets delivered an airstrike in the Sundij area of Diyala’s Kifri district, and the strike “resulted in the killing of members of the terrorist group and the destruction of their guesthouses,” according to the country’s Joint Operations Command. Iraqi and Kurdish security forces often carry out operations against members of the terror group despite an overall decline in their activities in recent years, and their hideouts are often tracked by the Iraqi air force and destroyed. ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017 but it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions across several provinces. The militants have particularly taken shelter in a security vacuum in parts of northern Iraq that are disputed between Baghdad and Erbil, stretching across several provinces including Diyala, Salahaddin, and Kirkuk. The Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) have discussed establishing joint brigades to secure areas disputed between the governments. Talks stalled because of elections and a year of political wrangling, but funds for two joint brigades are included in the draft 2023 budget. In December, an Iraqi army spokesperson revealed that they had killed over 200 ISIS fighters in 2022.
.png&w=3840&q=75)