Iraqi forces launch operation to clear IS remnants in Iraq

Baghdad, Dec 16 (IANS) Iraqi security forces launched an operation on Saturday to hunt down remnants of Islamic State (IS) militants in the rugged rural areas in northern central Iraq, the Iraqi military said.

On Saturday morning, the troops backed by para-military Hashd Shaabi brigades advanced from three directions to clear Mteibijah area near the border between the provinces of Salahudin and Diyala, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a brief statement.

At the end of the day, the troops searched 14 villages scattered in the area and managed to destroy an IS hideout and detonated nine roadside bombs, Xinhua news agency said, citing the JOC statement.

The troops will continue the operation in the coming days until they clear the whole sprawling rugged area that extends from western part of Diyala to Himreen mountainous area and nearby Mteibijah area in the neighbouring Salahudin province.

Dozens of IS militants fled their former bases in Salahudin province and Hawijah area in west of Kirkuk after the Iraqi forces cleared these areas from the extremist militants during anti-IS offensives in the past few months.

On December 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after country's forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.

However, small groups of IS militants fled to deserts and rugged areas looking for safe havens but the security forces were hunting them down from time to time.

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