45 Killed in Iraqi Airstrike on ISIS Leaders' Meeting in Syria

The Iraqi army reports that an airstrike targeting a meeting of leaders from the group known as the 'Islamic State' in Syrian territory has resulted in the deaths of 45 members of the group. According to the Iraqi army, F-16 fighter jets conducted the attack on three houses in the city of 'Hajin' in Syria on July 1, the last day of the previous week. Iraq claims these locations were where ISIS leaders gathered. In a statement released on Saturday, the Iraqi armed forces indicated that several influential and important figures from the so-called Islamic State, including a personal messenger of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group's leader, the deputy 'Minister of War' of ISIS, and 'Emirs of its media network,' were among the deceased. Reuters quoted part of the statement from the Iraqi Joint Operations Command, stating, 'F-16 fighter jets successfully targeted a meeting of ISIS leaders... This operation completely destroyed its objectives, resulting in the deaths of around 45 terrorists.' The group known as the Islamic State, whose leader once declared a 'caliphate' in Iraq and Syria, had seized large parts of both countries. However, their presence has now significantly diminished. Nevertheless, the group remains a security threat and challenge along the Syria-Iraq border. Hajin, where the attacks occurred, is a small city in eastern Syria, 50 kilometers from the Iraqi border. Last month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 65 senior ISIS leaders reside in Hajin. Since the spring of this year, the Iraqi air force has conducted attacks in Syrian territory targeting ISIS personnel and equipment. Iraq maintains good relations with Iran and Russia, the main allies of Bashar al-Assad, as well as with the anti-ISIS coalition led by the United States.