Iraqi forces target ISIS sites using CH-5 drone for first time

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Security forces carried out an airstrike using a CH-5drone operated by Iraqi Army Aviation for the first time on suspected ISISpositions south of Iraq’s Kirkuk province on Thursday, a security source toldShafaq News.

The strike, based on intelligence from the MilitaryIntelligence Directorate, hit sites in Al-Shay Valley (Wadi Al-Shay) area. Iraq’sJoint Operations Command later confirmed that the operation killed an operativeand completely destroyed the targeted hideout.

Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in2017, it continues operating as an insurgent network across desert and ruralregions, including Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. In mid-April, Iraq’sInterior Ministry reported that security forces had dismantled four ISIS-linkedcells during operations conducted in 2026, warning that the group has increasingly relied onsocial media and online gaming platforms to recruit young people.

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