SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi security forces launched an operation against Islamic State (ISIS) militants in areas in south of Kirkuk on Thursday, the military said in a statement.
Iraqi Security Media Cell said Iraqi army and units of the national intelligence service launched a “surprise pre-emptive security operation” against ISIS militants in the rugged areas in Kirkuk province.
“The operation aims to prevent the terrorist ISIS elements from finding any foothold in the region or other nearby areas,” the Iraqi military stated.
At least 10 ISIS militants were killed in a U.S.-led Coalition airstrike al-Tamur area in Kirkuk on Wednesday, according to the Iraqi military.
On Wednesday, the Iraqi national intelligence service said its units had thwarted a “terrorist plot” that targeted Kirkuk governorate.
The Iraqi forces also detained two suspects over links to ISIS, it added.
Recently, Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts to detain ISIS militants in the provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin, Nineveh, Anbar and Baghdad. The security forces have detained and killed dozens of ISIS members in the past weeks.
Iraq declared victory over Islamic State in December 2017 but the militants have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range which extends into the northern provinces – an area described by officials as a “triangle of death”.
