BAGHDAD, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces killed 11 Islamic State (IS) militants in an operation in Iraq's central province of Salahudin, the Iraqi military said on Tuesday.
A joint force from the Iraqi army, provincial police and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units conducted an operation to clear a desert area in Salahudin province from IS militants, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.
During the operation, the troops discovered 13 IS hideouts and two car-bomb-making sites, as well as killing 11 IS militants and destroying two booby-trapped vehicles, the statement said.
The troops also found 16 explosive belts and six containers filled with explosives, in addition to other supplies and equipment, the statement added.
The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country in late 2017.
IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.
