US-Led Coalition Airstrikes Destroy Islamic State Terror Group Hideout In Iraq

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th September, 2019) Airstrikes by US-led coalition forces successfully cleared an island in Iraq's Saladin Province that provided a hideout and transit hub for Islamic State terrorists (banned in Russia), Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) said in a press release on Tuesday.

"We're denying Daesh [Islamic State] the ability to hide on Qanus Island," OIR Special Operations Commander Major General Eric Hill said in the release. "We're setting the conditions for our partner forces to continue bringing stability to the region.

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Coalition Forces used 80,000 Pounds of munitions on the island to disrupt the ability of Islamic State terrorists to hide in the thick vegetation, the release said.

The 2nd Iraqi Special Operations Forces Battalion is currently conducting follow-on ground clearance operations, the release added.

The Island was used by IS fighters moving from Syria into northern Iraq, especially the regions near Mosul and Kirkuk, according to the release.