BAGHDAD, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The Islamic State (IS) militants on Tuesday kidnapped 10 federal policemen who were on vacation in north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police source said.
The incident occurred when the extremist militants set up a fake checkpoint on the main road near the mountainous Himreen area and kidnapped the policemen who were in two civilian cars heading to their homes in Baghdad for vacation, Major Ali al-Obeidi from Kirkuk police told Xinhua.
Iraqi security forces launched a search campaign in the area looking for the kidnapped policemen, Obeidi said.
During the past few months, dozens of IS militants fled their former urban strongholds in Mosul, Salahudin province and Hawijah area in the west of Kirkuk after the Iraqi forces cleared these areas during major anti-IS offensives.
However, remnants of IS militants resorted to hideouts in rugged areas near the rivers of Tigris and Zab, as well as Himreen mountainous areas to continue their almost daily attacks against civilians and Iraqi forces.
On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from IS militants after Iraqi forces recaptured all the areas once seized by the extremist group.
However, small groups and individuals of IS militants regrouped in the rugged areas and are carrying out attacks against the security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down.
