Iraqi warplanes strike Daesh positions in Syria

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraqi warplanes on Friday struck two Daesh positions inside Syrian territory, according to military officials.

“Iraqi F-16s struck two sites today: a headquarters used by leading members of the terrorist group and a warehouse used for storing missiles… in the Hajin area [of Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province],” the Iraqi army’s Joint Command said in a statement.

The operation achieved its objective, totally destroying both targets, the statement asserts.

On two separate occasions earlier this month -- May 6 and 14 -- Iraqi warplanes struck Daesh positions in Syria’s northeastern Al-Hasakah province.

And on Apr. 19, Iraqi military aircraft carried out airstrikes targeting Daesh positions in Deir ez-Zor.

The Iraqi government has said that the strikes were pre-approved by Damascus.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled following a three-year war.

Iraqi forces, however, continue to carry out frequent anti-Daesh operations, suggesting the terrorist group still maintains an active presence in certain parts of the country.