Shafaq News- Diyala

An airstrike targeted three ISIS positions in the Hamrin Mountains* in Iraq’s Diyala province on Saturday, a security source told Shafaq News.

Security forces closed Lake Hamrin to fishing after ISIS militants were spotted using boats in the area and attempted to abduct three fishermen, who managed to escape, according to the source.

No immediate information was available on casualties or damage.

On Thursday, security forces launched a search operation in Al-Shay Valley (Wadi al-Shay), south of Kirkuk, for militants believed to have been killed or wounded in Iraqi F-16 strikes.

ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017 but continues to operate through insurgent cells in desert and rural areas, including Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. In mid-April, the Interior Ministry reported dismantling four ISIS-linked cells during 2026 and warned that the group was increasingly using social media and online gaming platforms to recruit young people.

* The Hamrin Mountains are a rugged range extending across Diyala, Saladin, and Kirkuk provinces in northeastern Iraq.

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