Over 90 Islamic State militants killed as manhunt still underway in Kirkuk

Kirkuk (Iraqinews.com) – Over 90 Islamic State (IS) militants have been killed in Kirkuk as security forces continue launching manhunts nationwide in search of dormant IS cells, a well-placed security official was quoted as saying Tuesday.

“As part of ongoing efforts to track down IS cells, Iraqi troops managed to kill over 90 IS militants and destroyed at least 100 terrorist hotbeds in different security operations in southwestern Kirkuk,” Commander of the 16th brigade of al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces) Nabil Eissa al-Beshiry told Knooz Media.

“The anti-IS security operations have achieved good results so far,” he said, citing the killing of five IS militants, including three foreigners, in the province Monday.

Beshiry stressed that Iraqi troops will continue to hunt for dormant IS cells nationwide to protect the country from their threat.

Iraq declared the collapse of Islamic State’s territorial influence in November with the recapture of Rawa, a city on Anbar’s western borders with Syria, which was the group’s last bastion in Iraq.

The Islamic State group appeared on the international scene in 2014 when it seized large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, declaring the establishment of an Islamic “caliphate” from Mosul city.

Despite the group’s crushing defeat at its main havens across Iraq, Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks against troops with security reports warning that the militant group still poses a threat against stability in the country.