BAGHDAD, July 7 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi military said it killed five Islamic State (IS) militants on Friday in an overnight airdrop operation in the northern province of Kirkuk.
A commando force from the Counter-Terrorism Service carried out an airdrop operation in the town of Altun Kupri, north of the namesake provincial capital Kirkuk, some 250 km north of the capital Baghdad, according to a statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.
Snipers of the commando targeted suspected locations and clashed with IS militants, killing five of them, said the statement.
The troops collected the bodies of the militants for identification as they believed some important wanted IS members were among them, it added.
The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, the IS remnants have since melted into urban centers, deserts, and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. ■
