By Ahmed Qassim

NINEVEH, Iraq 

Iraqi forces have uncovered a network of tunnels dug by the Daesh terrorist group south of Mosul in northern Iraq, according to a federal police officer on Monday.

Federal police forces raided suspected Daesh positions near the town of Otaiba al-Sharqiya, 60 kilometers south of Mosul, Major Abdul Wahid al-Ansari told Anadolu Agency.

“Five underground tunnels were destroyed and eight explosive devices and belts were seized and defused,” he said.

He, however, said no militant had been arrested during the raid.

Last December, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled over operations backed by the U.S.-led International Alliance. However, from time to time, Iraqi officials announce operations against Daesh-affiliated "sleeper cells" in certain parts of the country.