Fighter jets of the Iraqi army targeted IS sites in the Saladin province Wednesday, in coordinated military operations aiming at retaking the province from the jihadist group, according to Sky News Arabia. Military sources told Sky News Arabia that the Iraqi warplanes resumed raids for the third consecutive day on IS spots in Saladin. Ground troops assaulted IS on Monday, consisting of 30 thousand elements from the Iraqi police, army, Shiite militias and Sunni militants, an operation which enabled the Iraqi government to make headway against IS. The sources added that IS militants attacked a joint site of the Iraqi army and Shiite forces in Saladin, resulting in the deaths of 7 Shiites and 10 IS militants. This is the largest attack by the Iraqi army against IS in Saladin since the seizure of the province by the group last summer. The U.S. Defense department announced late February that it had provided the Iraqi government with $17.9 million in military equipment and supplies. The deal is part of the U.S. obligation to help the Iraqi army in its fight against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
