UPDATE - Iraqi forces kill 11 Daesh militants in Kirkuk

UPDATES WITH MORE DAESH MEMBERS, FIVE SOLDIES KILLED

By Ali Mukarrem Garip

KIRKUK, Iraq (AA) – Eleven Daesh militants were killed in an Iraqi security operation in the northern Kirkuk province on Thursday, according to a local police officer.

The militants were intercepted at a point close to the Riyad town of Kirkuk as a result of some intelligence obtained, Police Capt. Muntazar Al-Saadi told Anadolu Agency.

Meanwhile, five Iraqi soldiers were killed in a Daesh ambush at an area close to a military base in eastern Diyala province in Iraq, Captain Habib al-Shamri told Anadolu Agency.

In the Et-Tarimiyye district in Salahaddin province, six Daesh militants including four foreign nationals were killed by Iraqi army drones, Army Captain Nezhan al-Hidir announced.

In late February, at least 27 pro-government fighters were killed in a Daesh ambush in southwestern Kirkuk province.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh’s military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled. However, it appears that the notorious terrorist group still maintains a network of “sleeper cells” in several parts of the country.