Death toll of IS militants rises to 16 after Iraqi airstrikes

Iraqi security forces on Tuesday found two more bodies of Islamic State (IS) militants who were killed in a recent military operation in the western province of Anbar.

Iraqi forces carried out an airdrop operation at 4:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) on Tuesday targeting IS hideouts in the Anbar desert, where they found the two bodies bringing the death toll of IS militants to 16.

According to a statement from the Security Media Cell, the Iraqi security forces used helicopter gunships to destroy three trucks used by IS militants in the desert on Tuesday.

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On Aug. 29, Iraqi forces, backed by U.S.-led coalition forces, carried out airstrikes on four well-camouflaged hideouts and engaged in clashes with IS militants who had fled the airstrikes, killing 14 of them, including important IS leaders.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017.

However, IS remnants have sneaked into urban centres, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.