Iraqi security forces, launched an operation to hunt down the remnants of the Daesh at a rural area in the province of Diyala, killing at least four militants, an army commander said.
A joint force from the Iraqi army and police, carried out an operation in Maytah, some 120 km north-east of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, leaving four militants killed and destroying eight hideouts, Lt. Gen. Mezhir al-Azzawi, commander of the security forces, responsible for military operations in Diyala province, said.
The troops also discovered two caches of ammunition and explosives, along with carrying out detonation to eight roadside bombs and a booby-trapped car, Azzawi said.
Maytah is part of the volatile al-Udhaim area, in the north-western part of Diyala province, that extends to the rugged areas in the neighbouring province of Salahudin.
Despite repeated military operations in Diyala and Salahudin provinces, remnants of the militants are still hiding in rugged areas, near the border with Iran, in eastern Diyala.
Dozens of militants fled their former bases in Salahudin and Hawijah, in the west of Kirkuk, after the Iraqi forces cleared these areas from the extremist militants, during anti-Daesh offensives in the past few months.
On Dec 9, Iraqi Prime Minister, Haider al-Abadi, officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the militants, after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.
However, small groups of militants resorted to deserts and rugged areas, looking for safe havens, but the security forces are hunting them down from time to time.
Source: NAM News Network