Unidentified airstrikes hit suspected ISIS hideouts in Iraq’s Kirkuk
Shafaq News- Kirkuk
Three airstrikes targeted suspected ISIS hideouts on the outskirts of Altun Kupri, north of Iraq's Kirkuk province, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
The aircraft responsible for the operation was not identified. It also remained unclear whether the strikes caused any damage or casualties.
Earlier today, Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) forces killed an ISIS member during a raid in the same area after exchanging fire with the suspect at his hideout. No casualties were reported among the Iraqi forces.
Security forces also launched a large-scale search operation after gunmen abducted a young man on the outskirts of Kirkuk province's Taza Khurmatu district. Initial investigations indicate the kidnapping may have been carried out by suspected ISIS militants, although authorities have not officially confirmed the group's involvement.
Although ISIS lost its territorial strongholds in Iraq in 2017, it continues to operate as an insurgent network in desert and rural areas, particularly in Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. In the first half of 2026, the Interior Ministry reported that security forces dismantled four ISIS cells, carried out about 80 preemptive operations, and issued 479 arrest warrants under the country’s Anti-Terrorism Law.
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