10 IS militants killed in attacks in Iraq

IS militants killed in Iraq: At least 10 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in attacks targeting IS hideouts in Iraq`s eastern province of Diyala during the past 24 hours, the Iraqi military said. Based on intelligence reports, Iraqi air forces conducted airstrikes on IS hideouts in the Himreen mountain range of northern Diyala on Friday and Saturday, destroying the hideouts and killing seven IS militants in total, according to a statement on Saturday issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC).

According to the statement, the commandos of the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service carried out attacks on IS hideouts in the same area on Saturday, killing another three IS militants, Xinhua news agency reported.

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Meanwhile, the warplanes bombarded an IS hideout in the rugged area of Wadi al-Shay, southwest of the namesake provincial capital Kirkuk, nearly 250 km north of the capital Baghdad, destroying the hideout and killing all militants inside, the JOC said in a separate statement, without giving exact fatality count.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centres, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.