Iraqi troops kill four Islamic State militants, arrest 18 others in Kirkuk
Iraqi security forces arrest a suspected fighter with the Islamic State group during a military operation.
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) – Iraqi troops killed on Thursday four Islamic State militants and arrested 10 others in Kirkuk, a military source was quoted as saying.
Speaking to Alghad Press on Thursday, the source said, “Four Islamic State militants were killed while 18 others arrested in a military operation that was launched earlier in the day to liberate the southern and western parts of Kirkuk from terrorism.”
“The troops also destroyed seven hotbeds that were used by Islamic State in Kirkuk,” the source, who preferred to remain unnamed, said.
“The purging operation runs at a slow but accurate pace to eliminate Islamic State sleeper cells that were hiding at remote areas to escape from Iraqi security campaigns,” the source pointed out.
Earlier in the day, thirteen Islamic State members were killed and injured in a security operation northeast of Baquba, Diyala.
Iraqi forces took over Kirkuk in mid October in response to a referendum Kurdistan Region held in September for independence from Iraq. Kirkuk is one of the areas where Baghdad and Erbil dispute sovereignty.
In December, Abadi announced full liberation of Iraqi lands, declaring end of war against IS members, who declared a self-styled “caliphate” in a third of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014.
Thousands of IS militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since a government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and a U.S.-led international coalition, was launched in October 2016 to fight the militant group. Nearly five million people were displaced since the launch of the offensives to recapture occupied cities.