Iraqi security forces have carried out airstrikes targeting remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Wadi al-Shai area of Kirkuk province, killing two militants, according to Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (ICTS).

The ICTS said Friday that the operation targeted ISIS elements in Wadi al-Shai, a rugged valley in southern Kirkuk located about 25 kilometers west of Tuz Khurmatu. The latest strikes came only days after Iraqi forces conducted another air operation against suspected ISIS hideouts in the same area.

On Wednesday, Iraq’s Security Media Cell (SMC) said the Iraqi Air Force had carried out four precise airstrikes using F-16 fighter jets after security forces tracked and monitored the movements of ISIS militants. The strikes targeted what the SMC described as terrorist safe houses and hideouts, resulting in the complete destruction of the designated targets.

ISIS seized large areas of northern and western Iraq in 2014 before being territorially defeated in 2017 following three years of intense military operations. However, the group continues to maintain sleeper cells capable of carrying out sporadic attacks, particularly in security gaps across the disputed territories between the federal government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region.

These areas include parts of Diyala, Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salahaddin provinces, where ISIS militants have continued to carry out attacks including kidnappings, hit-and-run assaults and bombings.

The recent increase in Iraqi air operations in the disputed territories follows the killing of an Iraqi military officer in early July during clashes with ISIS militants in Kirkuk. The incident prompted Iraqi security forces to intensify operations against the group’s suspected hideouts across the region.

Meanwhile, security coordination between Baghdad and Erbil has also intensified. On Sunday, Abdul-Amir Shammari, director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of Iraq’s Armed Forces, chaired a high-level security meeting in Baghdad attended by Kurdistan Region Peshmerga Chief of Staff Issa Ozeir and senior Iraqi and Kurdish officials.

According to the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga Ministry, the meeting focused on security conditions in areas under joint Iraqi-Kurdish control. Both sides stressed the importance of strengthening coordination to improve security and maintain control over areas where ISIS militants have exploited gaps between Iraqi and Kurdish forces.