By Anas al-Bar | 2025-02-21

Iraqi forces eliminated five "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) operatives, including senior commanders, in a series of strikes in northern and western Iraq on February 12.

In strikes backed by US intelligence and technical support, they destroyed a cave complex near Rawa in western Anbar province, killing five ISIS elements, including a senior leader, Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said.

The JOC Targeting Cell planned and oversaw the mission, 964media reported.

"Various weapons, including medium and light arms, different types of ammunition, explosive belts, hand grenades, logistical supplies and mobile devices" were recovered, a JOC statement said.

Iraqi warplanes on February 10 targeted a cell in Kirkuk province, between al-Rashad subdistrict and Daquq district, killing two operatives involved in recent attacks in the area, Bas News reported.

Two days earlier, Iraqi fighter jets struck an ISIS location in Kirkuk's Zgheitoun valley.

Forces inspecting the site found the bodies of two extremists, including Adnan Khalil Jadaan (aka "Haji Awad"), along with various explosives and weapons components, according to the JOC.

The operations dealt a significant blow to the network's leadership across the two provinces.

"We will persist in intensive security efforts to eliminate ISIS terrorism wherever it may be," the JOC said February 12.

'No escape'

On January 31, Iraqi F-16 aircraft conducted an airstrike in Zarka, a desert region between Salaheddine and Kirkuk provinces, killing seven ISIS operatives, including high-ranking leaders.

Former ISIS "Kirkuk governor" Daham Mohammed Alaywi, who went by the alias Abu Saeed al-Dandoushi, was among the dead, the JOC statement said.

Two other senior operatives were killed: ISIS's "Hamreen sector commander" Shahadah Allawi Saleh, known as Abu Issa, and Bassem Rabei al-Battoush.

"The targeted group was very dangerous and had a record of terrorist crimes against unarmed Iraqis," JOC deputy commander Lt. Gen. Qais al-Muhammadawi told Al-Fassel.

The strike demonstrated the growing interoperability between the various forces fighting ISIS, he said, noting that the group's fighters "cannot escape targeting even in the most isolated and difficult terrains."

"The terrorists' strength and activity have dropped to low levels," he added.

In a February 15 statement, US Central Command said the latest operations are part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt and degrade ISIS capabilities and ensure the group's permanent defeat.

The operations demonstrate Iraq's enhanced capability to conduct complex counterterrorism missions with crucial US support.

"These strikes demonstrate the strong coordination between both countries' forces, and remain essential for continued success against ISIS," strategic expert Tariq al-Shammari told Al-Fassel.