The Iraqi armed forces are conducting a large-scale anti-terrorist operation in several regions of the country. On July 19, Iraqi Air Force aircraft carried out an airstrike against a group of ISIS militants in the Hamrin mountain range in the north of the country, the military's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said.

“Through coordination between the Counter-Terrorism Service and the Joint Operations Command strike force, the brave Air Force Falcons carried out a precise and powerful strike against a terrorist hideout in the Hamrin Mountains on the border between the Kirkuk and Salahaddin Operational Command areas,” JOC said.

Local counter-terrorism operations are also taking place throughout Iraq, involving the armed forces, the Iraqi federal police, the Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi and the Kurdish Peshmerga forces.

The operation began after IS militants carried out a series of attacks on security forces in the provinces of Diyala and Kirkuk. Iraqi media reported that the attacks were the worst in years.