Over 300 IS militants killed in airstrikes

Baghdad, Sep 18 (IANS)   The Iraqi military said that the Iraqi aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes against targets of the Islamic State (IS) militants in western Iraq, leaving many of their posts destroyed and killing some 306 militants.

The jet fighters carried out 42 airstrikes on Sunday based on intelligence reports during the period from September 11 to 16, against IS headquarters and hideouts, while six of the total airstrikes targeted IS posts in Mayadeen area in eastern Syria, the intelligence media office said in a statement.

In one area, the airstrikes bombarded 29 IS targets in Akashat area, leaving some 120 IS militants killed, including four terrorist leaders, Xinhua news agency cited the statement as saying.

The jet fighters also hit six targets in Mayadeen area, leaving dozens of IS militants killed and destroying three booby-trapped vehicles, the statement said.

Earlier, the Iraqi security forces dislodged IS militants from the key cities of Anbar province, including Ramadi and the nearby Fallujah, but the areas near the border with neighbouring Syria, including Aana, Rawa and al-Qaim as well as the vast rural areas across the province are still under the control of the extremist IS militants.