At least two senior commanders of Daesh have been killed in two separate operations by the Iraqi air force in the country’s conflict-ridden western province of Anbar.
According to security sources, a number of militants, among them Mashaan Hussain, a self-proclaimed governor for the town of al-Rutbah, were killed when Iraqi and the US-led coalition aircraft carried out strikes against militant hideouts in Anbar on Saturday, Arabic-language al-Sumaria satellite television network reported.
Separately, fighter jets bombarded a Daesh hideout in the city of Mosul, situated some 400 kilometers (248 miles) north of Baghdad, killing Abu Shaker better known as Ali Saud Aswad, a self-proclaimed Daesh governor for Nineveh.
The development comes as Iraqi jets have dropped leaflets over Mosul, telling residents that Daesh would soon be driven from the strategic northern city.
The leaflets also said a new radio network, called Mosul FM, would soon be launched, urging local residents to have a small and portable radio with them at all times to get updated about the looming offensive to recapture Mosul.
Meanwhile, fighters from Popular Mobilization units have killed an Daesh sniper, identified as Abdullah al-Lahibi, during a fierce exchange of gunfire with the extremists in the town of Qaryat al-Rashad, located roughly 70 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital.
Daesh started its campaign of terror in Iraq in early June 2014. The heavily armed militants took control of Mosul before sweeping through parts of the country’s Sunni Arab heartland.
Iraqi soldiers, police units, Kurdish forces, and Shia and Sunni volunteers are engaged in battles with the militants to drive them out of the areas under their control.
Editor's note: This article has been edited from the source material
