By Ali Jawad and Hussein al-Amir
BAGHDAD (AA) – At least 12 Daesh militants were killed in Iraqi airstrikes in northern Iraq, according to an Iraqi military officer on Tuesday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Army Major Saad Mohamed said pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi forces launched a security operation to hunt down Daesh militants in the area between the provinces of Kirkuk, Saladin and Nineveh.
He said Daesh militants were spotted by helicopter gunships while fleeing the area.
“The helicopters shelled the fleeing militants, killing 12 of them,” he said.
Meanwhile, security forces detained a senior Daesh militant on a road linking Kirkuk to the capital Baghdad, according to Police Capt. Hamed al-Obaidi.
“The militant was involved in killing dozens of civilians and soldiers in the area over the past weeks,” he said.
Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that the Daesh terrorist group's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled. It appears the notorious terrorist group, however, still maintains “sleeper cells ” in certain parts of the country.
