10 IS militants killed during airstrike in Iraq

Baghdad: The Iraqi aircraft bombarded two hideouts housing about 10 Islamic State (IS) militants in the eastern province of Diyala, possibly killing all of them, the Iraqi military said.

Acting on intelligence reports, Iraqi warplanes completely destroyed the two IS hideouts in the Narin area near the town of Qara-Tappa, nearly 175 km northeast of the capital Baghdad, according to a statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command on Wednesday.

Over the past months, Iraqi security forces had conducted operations against extremist militants to crack down on their intensified activities, Xinhua news agency reported.

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