Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Three airstrikes targeted suspected ISIS hideouts on theoutskirts of Altun Kupri, north of Iraq's Kirkuk province, a security sourcetold Shafaq News on Saturday.
The aircraft responsible for the operation was notidentified. It also remained unclear whether the strikes caused any damage orcasualties.
Earlier today, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forceskilled an ISIS member during a raid in the same area after exchanging fire withthe suspect at his hideout. No casualties were reported among the Iraqi forces.
Security forces also launched a large-scale searchoperation after gunmen abducted a young man on the outskirts of Kirkuk province'sTaza Khurmatu district. Initial investigations indicate the kidnapping may havebeen carried out by suspected ISIS militants, although authorities have notofficially confirmed the group's involvement.
Although ISIS lost its territorial strongholds in Iraq in2017, it continues to operate as an insurgent network in desert and ruralareas, particularly in Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. In the first halfof 2026, the Interior Ministry reported that security forces dismantled fourISIS cells, carried out about 80 preemptive operations, and issued 479 arrestwarrants under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Law.
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