Iraqi military officials reported that an airstrike on January 31 in the Zarka area—located between Kirkuk and Salahaddin provinces—resulted in the deaths of seven individuals, including at least three suspected ISIS leaders. The operation, carried out by an F-16, targeted positions believed to be used by the militant group.
According to the army’s Security Media Cell, technical investigations and body tests confirmed that among the dead were Dahham Mohammed Aliwi (code-named Abu Saeed al-Dandoushi), identified as the group’s governor in Kirkuk, along with ISIS official Shahadha Alawi Salih and Basem Rabie al-Batoush.
ISIS, which once controlled significant areas in northern and central Iraq before its self-declared caliphate was dismantled in 2017, remains active in disputed territories including Diyala, Salahaddin, Kirkuk, and Nineveh. Iraqi airstrikes against ISIS cells in these regions continue as part of ongoing security operations.
