52 ISIL Takfiri militants slain in Iraqi army airstrikes

More than 50 ISIL Takfiri terrorists, including two militant commanders, have been killed in separate operations by the Iraqi air force in the country’s crisis-hit western province of Anbar.

A total of 52 ISIL extremists were killed when Iraqi aircraft carried out precision strikes against terrorist hideouts in the city of Husaybah, which lies seven kilometers (4.5 miles) east of Anbar’s provincial capital city of Ramadi, as well as al-Malahmeh and Albu Alwan regions on Thursday, Arabic-language al-Forat news agency reported.

The report added that 58 ISIL Takfiris also sustained injuries in the aerial attacks.

Iraqi military aircraft also destroyed nine arms depots, 22 armored vehicles and 14 cars belonging to ISIL extremists during the assaults.

On Wednesday, Iraqi jets bombarded ISIL hideouts in provinces of Anbar and Salahuddin, killing a large number of the Takfiris and destroying their vehicles.

Meanwhile, more than 70 ISIL militants were killed after Iraqi security personnel backed by fighters from Popular Mobilization units carried out a series of offensives in the two provinces. The Iraqi forces also defused tens of improvised explosive devices.

The commander of the First Regiment of Popular Mobilization units, Colonel Juma al-Jumaili, also said that Iraqi warplanes pounded terrorist positions in a region of the town of al-Karmah, located 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday, killing nine ISIL extremists in the process.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since ISIL launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of swathes of Iraqi territory.

The Takfiri group has been committing heinous crimes against all ethnic and religious groups in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, Christians, Izadi Kurds and others.

Units of army soldiers coupled with volunteer fighters are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.