Iraqi forces kill 6 Daesh militants in Kirkuk

By Hussein al-Amir and Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

Six Daesh militants were killed in an Iraqi security operation in the northern Kirkuk province on Saturday, according to a local police officer.

The militants were hiding inside a home in al-Tawireya town in al-Hawija district, 55 kilometer south-west of Kirkuk, Police Capt. Hamed al-Obaidi told Anadolu Agency.

He said the slain militants were planning attacks against military targets in the province.

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant Iqbal Karim said federal police have begun to redeploy in southwestern Kirkuk in an effort to prevent militant activities in the area.

Last week, at least 27 pro-government fighters were killed in a Daesh ambush in southwestern Kirkuk province.

Last December, officials in Baghdad had declared that Daesh’s military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled. However, it appears that the notorious terrorist group still maintains a network of “sleeper cells” in several parts of the country.