3 Daesh militants killed in Iraq’s Mosul

By Mohamed Walid

NINEVEH, Iraq

Three suspected Daesh militants were killed by Iraqi forces in a military operation in the northern city of Mosul on Saturday, according to a military officer.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to hunt down Daesh militants in the area between the towns of al- and Zulhifa in southern Mosul, Colonel Ahmed al-Jabbouri told Anadolu Agency.

He said the three militants had been killed in Iraqi airstrikes on their hideout in the area.

Daesh militants have stepped up attacks against Iraqi security forces in northern and eastern Iraq in recent months.

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.