Iraqi forces kill IS terrorists in Northern Iraq

The Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) killed 42 terrorists of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group during the operation in Nineveh province, the country’s military has reported.

Acting on intelligence information, CTS troops, backed by Iraqi and foreign coalition aircraft, assaulted the Ayn al-Jahash region south of the provincial capital of Mosul, the former IS fortress, Xinhua news agency reported citing the military in a statement on Sunday.

The CTS forces have been engaging in violent clashes with IS militants in the region for two consecutive days, said Yahia Rasoul, spokesperson of the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Forces.
The soldiers forced IS insurgents to retreat and dig into their hiding places in tunnels and caves, causing CTS troops to storm their hiding places even with hand grenades, he said.

The operation resulted in the killing of 42 IS insurgents, including five of their tribal commanders, and the capture of arms and ammunition inside the shelters, according to Rasoul.

The operation came as the militant group stepped up its assaults on security forces and civilians in the previously IS-controlled Sunni provinces, killing and injuring hundreds.

The security situation in Iraq has strengthened after the security forces fully vanquished IS insurgents around the country in 2017.