By Ibrahim Saleh
BAGHDAD (AA) - At least 14 Daesh terrorists were killed when U.S.-led coalition warplanes struck positions in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
At a press conference, ministry spokesman Yahya Rasool said coalition aircraft had targeted terrorist positions in the mountainous region northwest of provincial capital Mosul.
"Three terrorist strongholds were destroyed and 14 Daesh militants killed," Rasool said.
Coalition warplanes, he said, had been providing air support for Iraqi forces conducting ground operations in the area.
Last year, Iraqi officials declared that Daesh's military presence in the country had been neutralized following a three-year conflict with the army backed by the U.S.-led coalition.
Nevertheless, Iraqi forces continue to carry out frequent operations with the aim of decisively ending the group’s lingering presence.