BAGHDAD, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces on Monday carried out an operation in north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, killing three militants of the extremist Islamic State (IS) group, a military statement said.
A joint army and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi force ambushed a group of IS militants in a rural area near the town of Tarmoyah, some 30 km north of Baghdad, killing the three militants who were planning to carry out terrorist attacks, the Hashd Shaabi said in a statement.
One of the killed was identified as Omer Jawad Mahmoud, whose known to be responsible for transporting IS suicide bombers to their targets in nearby cities, the statement said.
The troops continue their operation to clear the rural areas in north of Baghdad from the extremist IS militants, the statement added.
Over the past months, IS militants have intensified attacks on Iraqi security forces in the province the militants previously controlled, leaving dozens dead and wounded.
The security situation in Iraq has been improving since Iraqi security forces defeated the IS militants in 2017.
However, IS remnants have since melted into urban centers or deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. Enditem
