75 ISIL Takfiri militants slain in Iraqi airstrikes

According to a statement released by the Iraqi Defense Ministry on Wednesday, a total of 25 ISIL extremists were killed when Iraqi aircraft carried out precision strikes against terrorist hideouts in the town of Hit, located about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad.
 
The statement said that another 30 ISIL militants died when Iraqi fighter jets struck the Takfiris’ positions in the city of Fallujah, located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad.
 
Separately, Iraqi military aircraft bombarded ISIL bases in the Haqoul Ajil district, which lies east of the strategic city of Tikrit, on Wednesday, killing 20 Takfiris in the process.
 
ISIL drone shot down in northeast Iraq
 
The developments came as members of the Popular Mobilization units shot down a drone operated by ISIL as it was flying close to the Hamrin Mountains, situated 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
 
The remotely-controlled aerial vehicle was snooping around the area to collect information about the pro-government volunteer forces when it was brought down amid a fierce exchange of gunfire between the two sides, according to a report published by the Arabic-language al-Forat news agency.
 
The northern and western parts of Iraq have been facing gruesome violence since ISIL launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory. Units of army soldiers with allied volunteer fighters are battling to win back militant-held regions in joint operations.