Iraqi forces kill, injure some 240 Takfiri Daesh terrorists in anti-terror fight

Iraqi fighter jets fly in formation during a parade in Baghdad, Iraq, January 6, 2015. (Photo by AP)

Amid battles to rid Iraq of Daesh terrorists, the country’s armed forces have carried out fresh operations, killing and wounding around 240 Takfiri militants on several fronts.

An unnamed Iraqi security source said on Sunday that a number of Daesh elements lost their lives and sustained injuries in airstrikes conducted by Iraqi fighter jets in western Ramadi, Anbar's provincial capital, Iraq’s War Media Cell reported.

The air raids targeted the militant-held Forqan military base near Ramadi’s Raveh district, based on precise information obtained by the army’s intelligence unit, the report added.

A large quantity of explosives was confiscated at the base, which was used by the terrorists for making car bombs and other purposes.

The strikes also killed 50 Daesh terrorists, among them ringleader Osama al-Qanzi, also known as Abu Salman.

The report also said that the Iraqi warplanes conducted similar aerial attacks in other Anbar neighborhoods such as Anah, Qa’im and Akashat that left some 140 Takfiris dead and injured.

Meanwhile, the Popular Mobilization Units foiled an attempted attack near Tal Afar airport, west of Mosul, killing seven militants and destroying 4 of their vehicles.

A member of Iraqi special forces gestures after a Daesh car bomb attack during clashes in Mosul, Iraq, November 19, 2016. (Photo by Reuters)

The commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, also said that 40 Daesh elements were slain in eastern Shirqat, which lies on the Tigris River 100 kilometers south of Mosul.

He added that the 9th Division of Special Forces made some advances on the west bank of Tigris River and purged several districts of terrorists.

There were also reports that three drones operated by Daesh were shot down near Tal Afar airport as they were carrying booby traps. It was the first time that Daesh used the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to attack Iraqi troops.

The airport was liberated earlier this week as the Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters are leading a major offensive to retake the city of Mosul, the last Daesh bastion in the Middle Eastern country, for more than one month now.

Separately, Shirqat governor Ali Dudah resettled expelled residents of a neighborhood and resettled them in another area under tight security controls, citing their cooperation with Daesh.

He said that the locals hid Daesh bodies and set up a checkpoint in central Shirqat, killing five members of the Popular Mobilization Units.