Shafaq News/ A high-ranking ISIS leader and two of his associates were killed in an Iraqi airstrike in northern Diyala, a senior security source revealed on Tuesday.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that the airstrike, conducted near Al-Azim Dam in northern Diyala, resulted in the deaths of three terrorists, including the prominent leader Ahmad Ibrahim Abdullah Al-Azawi, known within the organization as "Abu Omar Al-Tarazi", and his two companions.

"He was a key figure in ISIS operating in the Hamrin and Mutaibija regions. His elimination marks a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to dismantle ISIS cells and eradicate their presence," the source added.

The Joint Operations Command confirmed, on Tuesday, that the airstrike, carried out by Iraqi F-16 fighter jets on Monday, targeted an ISIS stronghold within the Diyala Operations Command sector, resulting in the complete destruction of the site and the deaths of the terrorists inside.

The Joint Operations Command had announced on Monday that the airstrike hit a hideout in the Hawi Al-Azim area within the Diyala Operations Command, leading to its total destruction and the killing of the terrorists present.

Despite its territorial defeat in 2017, ISIS maintains a significant presence in Iraq through sleeper cells.

These cells, active in rural and urban areas, engage in guerrilla warfare, assassinations, kidnappings, and extortion to destabilize the region.

Concentrated in areas like the Hamrin Mountains, they blend into local populations, making them challenging to detect.

Iraqi security forces continually conduct operations to disrupt these cells. However, ongoing political and economic challenges, along with the cells' deep integration into communities, complicate these efforts.