Iraqi government forces, backed by military aircraft, have carried out successful clean-up operations against the Daesh terrorist group on several fronts, inflicting heavy losses on the Takfiri militants.
On Saturday, scores of Daesh extremists were killed when Iraqi fighter jets launched precision strikes against terrorist positions in the town of Qayyara, located approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of the capital, Baghdad, Arabic-language al-Hurra satellite television network reported.
A considerable amount of weapons and munitions belonging to the extremists were also destroyed in the process.
Fares al-Sabawi, a commander of the Popular Mobilization Units, said Iraqi warplanes fired tens of missiles at the Daesh bases in Qayyara.
Meanwhile, a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Iraqi army soldiers launched separate ground offensives in al-Aramel and Tel Mashihida districts, which lie east of Anbar’s provincial capital city of Ramadi, killing at least 13 Daesh militants and destroying three vehicles loaded with ammunition.
Iraqi bomb disposal teams also defused some 47 improvised explosive devices planted across the two districts.
Separately, 15 Daesh terrorists were killed when Iraqi fighter jets pounded their positions in the oil-rich al-Alaas and Ajeel districts, located 35 kilometers (22 miles) northeast of Salahuddin’s provincial capital city of Tikrit.
Moreover, a high-profile Daesh militant commander, identified as Ibrahim Kazem, was killed in an Iraqi aerial assault against Albu Ziyab district, situated north of Ramadi, on Saturday evening.
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been plagued by violence ever since Daesh began an offensive on Iraqi territory in June 2014. Army soldiers and Popular Mobilization Units have joined forces and are seeking to take back militant-held regions in joint operations.