BAGHDAD 

Iraq on Monday launched a security operation to hunt down Daesh/ISIS militants north of the capital Baghdad.

"From here, I announce the launch of a security campaign in cooperation with the families of Tarmiyah district, north of Baghdad, to eliminate Daesh/ISIS sleeper cells," Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said during a visit to the office of the Operations Command in Tarmiyah.

"Terror-combat is a collective responsibility where all must take part in [...] we have to revisit our security plans to face such sleeper cells," al-Kadhimi added in his remarks cited by a cabinet statement.

Daesh/ISIS militants have an active presence in Tarmiyah district, 50 kilometers north of Baghdad, from where they launch attacks inside the Iraqi capital.

On Friday, four people were killed and eight others injured in a twin attack targeting a position of the pro-government Hashd al-Shaabi militia in Baghdad.

Daesh/ISIS terrorists have in recent months escalated their attacks, especially in the area between Kirkuk, Salahuddin, and Diyala, known as the Triangle of Death.

In 2017, Iraq declared victory over Daesh/ISIS by reclaiming all territories the terrorist group controlled since the summer of 2014 which was estimated to be about a third of the country’s territory.

The group, however, still maintains sleeper cells in large areas in Iraq and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara