Shafaq News/ Coalition forces, including French soldiers, are conducting a sweeping operation against ISIS militants in the volatile al-Eith area following an ambush that left five troops, including several French, either dead or injured.
Ali Nawaf al-Hassan, a commander of the defense forces in al-Eith, told Shafaq News Agency that the joint mission involves coalition forces, Iraqi counter-terrorism units, and other security formations targeting ISIS hideouts in the region.
Al-Hassan said that the ground troops were backed by aerial support to cleanse the region of ISIS groups, which have become a major security concern. He alluded to previous warnings about heightened ISIS activities in al-Eith.
Earlier today, a security source in Saladin said that an ISIS-orchestrated ambush on coalition and Iraqi counter-terrorism forces. This ambush was preceded by an airstrike on an ISIS stronghold in al-Eith, which, although causing substantial damage, did not neutralize the militants.
As French forces, in collaboration with counter-terrorism units, descended to assess the airstrike aftermath, ISIS militants opened fire, injuring three French soldiers and two from the Iraqi unit.
Reinforcements from the Saladin operations were dispatched to the scene, while security forces and the coalition continue to tighten the noose on the area searching for ISIS militants.
The vast expanse and geography of Al-Aith island make it a hotbed for ISIS activities, in addition to its proximityborders to infested border areas in Kirkuk and Diyala.