BAGHDAD, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Saturday killed two would-be suicide bombers affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) militant group and captured two IS militants in an operation in Iraq's western province of Anbar, the Iraqi military said.
The troops, backed by Iraqi gunships and international coalition aircraft, conducted a search operation in the west of the provincial capital Ramadi, some 110 km west of Baghdad, Anbar Operations Command said in a statement.
The operation resulted in the destruction of 18 IS hideouts and the killing of two militants wearing explosive belts and the capturing of two others during sporadic clashes, according to the statement.
The troops also seized six vehicles and two explosive devices from the militants.
IS militants are still active in the vast Anbar desert which stretches to the border with neighboring countries of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, as many civilians have been kidnapped or killed by the extremist group recently.
The security situation in Iraq has been dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces declared full defeat of the IS across the country late in 2017.
However, IS remnants have since melted or regrouped in cities or fled to desert and rugged areas, carrying out attacks against the security forces and civilians despite operations from time to time to hunt them down.
