BAGHDAD, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- A total of two Iraqi security members were killed on Monday in separate incidents in Iraq's eastern province of Diyala, while Iraqi forces destroyed hideouts and vehicles of Islamic State (IS) militants in the western province of Anbar.
In Diyala, an explosive expert from the Iraqi police was killed while he was trying to defuse a roadside bomb in an area located near al-Abbara area in northeast of the provincial capital Baquba, some 65 km northeast of Baghdad, Alaa al-Tamimi from the provincial police command told Xinhua.
Another roadside bomb explosion killed a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi member in the village of al-Aseywid, about 45 km northeast of Baquba, al-Tamimi said, adding that the bomb was apparently planted by the extremist IS militants.
The security forces, acting on intelligence tip-off, also launched search operations in different areas across Diyala and destroyed an IS hideout as well as seized two caches of weapons and ammunition, in addition to destroying an IS medical center containing various medical supplies, al-Tamimi said.
In Anbar, an army force from al-Jazira Operations Command launched an anti-IS operation in areas in north of Haditha Lake, some 160 km west of the provincial capital Ramadi, destroying two IS vehicles and seizing arms and ammunition, said Qassim al-Mohammedi, commander of al-Jazira Operations Command, told Xinhua.
The security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017.
IS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent hit-and-run attacks against security forces and civilians.
