Iraq News

Iraqi forces destroy ISIS media centre in Hamreen

Iraq's elite counter-terrorism force targeted "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) remnants and one of the group's media centres in the northern region of Hamreen on Thursday (April 11th), AFP reported.

Although the group no longer holds territory, ISIS sleeper cells were believed to be hiding out in vast deserts and in the Hamreen mountains, conducting deadly hit-and-run attacks against government posts from these bases.

Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul said Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi had ordered the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) "to conduct operations targeting ISIS remnants and their caves in the Hamreen mountains".

The operation was supported by both Iraqi aircraft and international coalition warplanes, he said in a statement.

CTS spokesman Sabah al-Numan said the operation had lasted four days, with troops parachuting in and setting fire to 15 ISIS shelters.

Among them was a centre used to produce ISIS's weekly propaganda magazine Al-Naba.

"A special team is currently analysing the seized computers and documents -- and we will see if there is a new issue, as they are usually published on Thursdays," al-Numan said.

The force is planning similar operations in other parts of Iraq.

"The important part of this operation is that this difficult area, which posed a threat to northern Diyala and southern Kirkuk, has been cleared out," he added.

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