BAGHDAD, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi security forces on Monday launched an operation to hunt down militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group in the province of Salahudin north of Baghdad, the Iraqi military said.
The Iraqi army, police, and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces began the operation in the morning to clear the mountain ranges of Himreen and Makhoul as well as the rugged areas, where the oil fields of Ajil and Allas are located, a statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said.
The operation aimed at hunting down IS militants and enhance security and stability in those areas, JOC added.
Meanwhile, Mohammed al-Bazi from the provincial police said the operation was based on intelligence reports indicating that IS militants are trying to attack the security forces from the vast areas in the north and east of the provincial capital Tikrit, some 170 km north of Baghdad.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces fully defeated the IS militants across the country late in 2017.
However, IS remnants have since melted in urban areas or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem