Iraqi Airstrike Kills Senior Daesh Leaders in Hamrin Mountains

Four members of Daesh, including two senior leaders, were killed in an Iraqi airstrike in the Hamrin Mountains, eastern Iraq, on Friday, Arab News reported.

The Iraqi Security Media Cell reported that Iraqi F-16 fighter jets targeted the militants, leading to the discovery of their bodies in the area.

Talib Al-Mousawi, an official with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), confirmed that the deceased included two top Daesh leaders operating in Diyala province. The identity of a fourth militant is pending further examination.

Daesh, which once controlled significant territory in Iraq and Syria from 2014 to 2017, imposed severe violence on local communities during its reign. Although the group’s “caliphate” collapsed in 2017 in Iraq and in 2019 in Syria, it has since fragmented into autonomous cells. The UN estimates Daesh retains around 10,000 members in its former strongholds, making its leadership difficult to track.