BAGHDAD – At least 40 jihadists of the Islamic State, or IS, have been killed in airstrikes carried out by the Iraqi air force in the western of the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, spokesman of Iraq’s Interior Ministry Saad Maan said in a statement on Friday.
The Iraqi aircrafts pounded midnight Thursday a building where IS extremists were meeting in Al-Qaem, a town near the Syrian border and 400 kilometers (248 miles) from the capital Baghdad, Maan added.
Six IS commanders, including two Algerian nationals and a member of Hisba (Islamic police), were among the fatalities.
Al-Qaem is under the control of the IS and has been targeted by the Iraqi army since the beginning of the offensive aimed to regain Al Anbar province.
The main objective of the current military offensive in Al Anbar is to liberate Iraqi city of Ramadi, which was seized by the jihadist group on May 17.