Iraqi army air strike kills two militants in Diyala operation

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Joint Operations Command said an air strike on Thursday killed two militants in the Diyala operational area. The operation in the southern Bihriz area was planned after months of technical and field work by the Military Intelligence Directorate, according to a command statement. The intelligence unit tracked the target's movements with high precision over the past week and coordinated directly with the Targeting Cell at the Joint Operations Command, the statement said. F-16 fighter jets of the Iraqi air force carried out two successful air strikes based on the confirmed intelligence. Following the strike, security forces launched a search of the area and recovered various items described as criminal evidence. One of those killed was identified as a man known by the alias "Abu Maysara" and the code name "Muhammad Karim Ali," who the command said had served as the "southern Bihriz field emir."