13 Daesh commanders killed in Iraq, headquarters destroyed

At least 13 Daesh commanders have been killed in airstrikes carried out by the Iraqi Air Force in the country’s north-central province of Salahuddin.

The Takfiris were slain as the Iraqi F-16 fighter jets targeted the group’s headquarters in the northern district of Sharqat, Arabic-language al-Sumeria news website reported on Wednesday, adding that a senior commander, called Vazir (minister), was among the dead.

The aerial raid also injured several Daesh elements and destroyed the headquarters.

The terror group has lost several of its headquarters across Iraq in the past few days. On Sunday, Iraqi warplanes destroyed three headquarters of Daesh in the Tal Kayf district, northeast of Mosul in the northern province of Nineveh. At least 17 terrorists were killed in the airstrikes.

On Tuesday, fighters from al-Jabour tribe backed by Iraqi security forces captured three other Daesh command centers in the al-Zour area, northeast of Baqubah, in the eastern province of Diyala.

The terror group, which has been wreaking havoc in Iraq since June 2014, has recently been losing more ground to the country’s army forces.

In a separate development on Wednesday, Daesh executed three civilians in Mosul by throwing them from the insurance company building, the tallest building in the city, located in Dawasa area. Thirty-five people were also put to death in the same manner in the city in December and August last year.

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

The militants have been committing heinous crimes against all ethnic and religious communities in Iraq, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians. Iraqi army soldiers and fighters from allied Popular Mobilization Units are seeking to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.