Alalam - Iraq

The source said Iraqi air force jets pounded an ISIS hideout in the village of Raihana in the town of Annah, killing nine militants inside, Al Sumeriya News reported.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Defense Ministry said in a statement the warplanes targeted ISIS ammunition stacks and booby-trapping workshops in Okashat desert area, also in the west, as well as in al-Akra village in Haditha.

ISIS militants still maintain holdouts at Western Anbar regions, most notably at the towns of Annah, Rawa and Qaem, launching from there occasional attacks on civilians and security forces who respond with airstrikes on the group’s locations relying on intelligence tips.

Iraqi security forces, assisted by popular forces, have been struggling since October to drive ISIS militants out of towns they had captured in 2014.

SA